Wizards of the world, rejoice! The latest entry in the Fantastic Beasts series is headed to HBO Max very soon.
Released exclusively in theaters in April, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is now set to hit HBO Max on May 30confirmed Warner Bros.
The third installment in the titular franchise, and the eleventh film set in the fictional wizarding world, Dumbledore's Secrets sees Eddie Redmayne reprise his role as Newt Scamander, the young magizoologist tasked with delving into the famous man's checkered past. Law. Magician.
In addition to reuniting veteran Harry Potter director David Yates with producers David Heyman, JK Rowling, Steve Kloves, Lionel Wigram and Tim Lewis, who worked on the previous two films in the Fantastic Beasts series, the film also gives the audience their first glance. in Mads Mikkelsen's version of the menacing Gellert Grindelwald.
The Danish actor was tapped to replace Johnny Depp in the role following an unrelated legal action last year, though the character retains the same ambitions - and the same terrifying white iris - to wreak havoc on the wizarding world.
It may come as a surprise to see Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore heading to HBO Max so soon, considering the movie only hit theaters a little over a month ago, but the streaming service maintained a pretty consistent on-demand release pattern. at all times. year.
Batman, for example, arrived on HBO Max just 45 days after its theatrical debut, despite the film's surge at the global box office in its first few weeks of release. However, Warner Bros' generous approach seems to be paying off for subscribers: The service recently took another major step in streaming to boost its position alongside Netflix and Disney Plus.
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So, as stated above, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore isn't headed to HBO Max that soon because it underperformed at the box office, but the fact of the matter is that it did.
The third installment in the series grossed the franchise $376 million while it was in theaters (for comparison, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them took home $812 million), a modest profit that could spell game over. of this particular incarnation of the Wizarding World.
Regardless of the film's poor performance, Fantastic Beasts as a property has become something of an untamed beast for Warner Bros. in recent years. High-profile controversies involving producer JK Rowling and actor Ezra Miller, in addition to the aforementioned Johnny Depp situation, have left a sour taste in the mouths of long-time Harry Potter fans, and it's hard imagine a fourth movie getting green approval. light.
According to Variety (opens in a new tab) in April, Warner Bros. reportedly waited for the commercial release of Secrets of Dumbledore before making a call about the future of the series. Given all of the above, then, it doesn't seem likely that the five-movie Fantastic Beasts project will come full circle.