A second Fantastic Beasts film was announced in October 2014, and in July 2016 Rowling confirmed she had completed the script. Depp was cast in November 2016, causing some controversy due to domestic violence allegations recently made against him, and Law signed on in April 2017. Principal photography on the film began at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden in July 2017. Filming also took place in London, Switzerland, and Paris, and ended in December 2017.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald premiered in Paris on 8 November 2018 and was released worldwide on 16 November 2018, in Real D 3D, Dolby Cinema, IMAX and ScreenX, by Warner Bros. Pictures.[2] The film has grossed over $652 million worldwide, making it the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2018 but the lowest total of the Wizarding World franchise. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its entertainment value, as well as the direction and performances (particularly from Law and Depp), but criticised the "needlessly complicated, low-stakes plot" while feeling that it was "overburdened" with details setting up future sequels.[3]
In 1927, the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) is transferring the powerful dark wizardGellert Grindelwald from their maximum security prison to London to be tried for his crimes in Europe. Grindelwald escapes during the transfer, aided by his follower and MACUSA employee, Abernathy.
Three months later in London, Newt Scamander appeals to the Ministry of Magic to restore his revoked international travel rights following his misadventure in New York City. While at the Ministry, Newt runs into Leta Lestrange, an old Hogwarts classmate who is engaged to his brother, Theseus, an auror in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Ministry offers to restore Newt's travel rights if he assists Theseus in locating the obscurial Credence Barebone, who has resurfaced in Paris. They believe Credence may be Leta's long-lost brother, Corvus Lestrange, the last of a long line of pure-blood wizards. Grindelwald believes only Credence can kill his "equal", Hogwarts Professor Albus Dumbledore. Newt, however, declines, refusing to choose a side, and the auror Grimmson is dispatched instead.
After leaving the Ministry, Newt is secretly summoned by Dumbledore, who is under constant Ministry surveillance for refusing to confront Grindelwald (with whom he shared a close personal relationship in their youth). Dumbledore tries to persuade Newt to locate Credence, though Newt does not give him an answer.
After he arrives home, Newt's American friends, Queenie Goldstein and Jacob Kowalski, unexpectedly arrive at his house. Jacob's recollections of the New York City incident are mostly intact, as the MACUSA's citywide Obliviation order only erased Muggles' bad memories, and his were mostly good. Queenie and Jacob have followed Queenie's sister Tina to Europe, where she is searching for Credence. Newt learns that Tina mistakenly believes he and Leta Lestrange are engaged. Newt suspects that Queenie has enchanted Jacob into eloping to Europe with her to circumvent MACUSA's marriage ban between wizards and muggles. After Newt lifts the charm, Jacob and Queenie quarrel about the marriage law, and an upset Queenie leaves to find Tina. Newt realises Tina is in Paris, and, ignoring the travel ban, he and Jacob follow the sisters to Europe.
In Paris, Tina searches for Credence at a wizarding freak show at the Circus Arcanus. Credence and Nagini, a young female circus attraction who can transform into a snake, escape after causing a distraction. While searching for Credence's birth mother, Credence and Nagini locate the servant who put him up for adoption. However, Grimmson, who is secretly working for Grindelwald, arrives and kills her. Meanwhile, Tina meets Yusuf Kama, who is also hunting Credence. Newt and Jacob encounter Yusuf and follow him to Tina. Yusuf, revealed to be Leta's maternal half-brother, says he made an Unbreakable Vow to kill Credence, whom he believes is his step-brother, Corvus, and the last of the Lestrange family.
Newt and Tina infiltrate the French Ministry of Magic to retrieve documents confirming Credence's identity. While there, the two reconcile after Tina learns Newt was never engaged to Leta. Leta herself later discovers them and joins the search, which leads them to the Lestrange family tomb in the Père Lachaise Cemetery. Leta reveals that Credence cannot be Corvus Lestrange: as a child, she inadvertently caused the death of her infant brother by switching him with baby Credence while on a doomed New York-bound passenger ship, thereby sparing Credence and leaving Corvus presumably drowned. Meanwhile, a fabricated trail has lured Credence to the Lestrange tomb where Grindelwald is holding a rally for his followers. Jacob finds Queenie, now seemingly aligned with Grindelwald, in the audience there.
Grindelwald preaches the abolishment of laws concealing wizards from muggles, and utilizes images of the imminent Second World War to justify worldwide wizard supremacy and domination. Led by Theseus, aurors surround the rally, but Grindelwald fends them off while unleashing his emissaries to spread his word across Europe. Grindelwald casts a circle of blue flame to divide followers from enemies. Credence and Queenie cross over to join him, while Leta sacrifices herself to save Newt, Tina, Jacob, Yusuf, Nagini, and Theseus. As Grindelwald escapes, the remaining heroes unite alongside the immortal alchemist Nicolas Flamel to defeat Grindelwald. Seeing the devastation, Newt realizes he must join the fight.
At Hogwarts, Newt gives Dumbledore a vial, secretly taken from Grindelwald, that contains the blood pact that the teenaged Grindelwald and Dumbledore made together. Newt correctly surmises that the pact magically prevents Dumbledore and Grindelwald from combatting each other; Dumbledore believes it may be possible to destroy the pact.
In his base at Nurmengard in Austria, Grindelwald tells Credence that he is actually Albus Dumbledore's long-lost brother, Aurelius, and the only person powerful enough to defeat him. Queenie uses her mind-reading ability to advise Grindelwald on ways to control Credence. A baby bird that Credence had been caring for is revealed to be a phoenix, a bird associated with the Dumbledore family. Grindelwald then provides Credence with his first wand, and the film ends as Credence casts a spell for the first time.
A British Ministry of Magic employee in the Beasts Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, as well as a self-proclaimed magizoologist. He played a part in remedying the events of a violent attack on the City of New York in December 1926 involving dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. He is a confidant of Albus Dumbledore, despite being an outcast from certain circles of British Wizarding society due to his checkered past. Joshua Shea portrays a young Newt.[7]
A promoted MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) Auror. She played a role in thwarting Gellert Grindelwald during the Obscurus incident of 1926, for which she and Newt were initially blamed.[9]
A No-Maj veteran of World War I and current business owner of a bakery, a friend of Newt's, and the primary love interest to Queenie before having his memory obliviated following Grindelwald's attack on New York.
The pretty and vivacious younger sister of Tina, who worked alongside her in the Federal Wand Permit Bureau after Tina was once demoted. She is a powerful natural Legilimens, and has fallen in love with Jacob Kowalski, despite wizarding laws forbidding relationships with No-Majs.[9]
The disturbed adopted child of Mary-Lou Barebone, severely abused and downtrodden. Enraged by people's treatment of him and Grindelwald's betrayal, he set his Obscurus parasite loose on the City of New York, causing widespread death and destruction. He was eventually "destroyed" by MACUSA officials, although a tiny Obscurus fragment escaped. Credence now has complete control over his Obscurus.[9]
An emotionally damaged and confused young woman who still exerts some control over Newt, who was once in love with her, and possibly still is. After she once risked the life of a fellow Hogwart's student, Newt took the blame for the misdemeanor, protecting her but resulting in him being ostracized from some British wizarding society. She is descended from a historically wealthy, pureblood family infamous for embracing the Dark Arts. She is currently engaged to Theseus Scamander, Newt's brother, and is now working at the British Ministry of Magic as the assistant to Torquil Travers, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement.[12][9] Thea Lamb and Ruby Woolfenden both portray young versions of Leta.
Newt Scamander's older brother who works in the Auror Office of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, fought in World War I, and is described as a "war hero". The two brothers share a tentatively warm relationship, slightly marred by their disparate personalities and beliefs. He spent the previous year hunting Grindelwald with a team of British Aurors. Theseus is currently engaged to Leta Lestrange.[12]
The main attraction of a wizarding circus and freak show called Circus Arcanus and a Maledictus, who carries a blood curse that will eventually transform her into a snake permanently. For as long as she can remember, Skender has exploited her transformative powers. Nagini befriends Credence Barebone, who works as a menial worker at the circus. Nagini will eventually become the infamous companion of Lord Voldemort, as well as his final Horcrux that is destroyed by Neville Longbottom.[15][16][9]
William Nadylam as Yusuf Kama: A French-Senegalese wizard who has spent many years obsessively searching for Credence and has finally tracked him down in Paris at Circus Arcanus.[15][9] Isaac Domingos portrays a young Yusuf.
Kevin Guthrie as Abernathy: Tina and Queenie's previous MACUSA supervisor, now a loyal follower of Grindelwald.[15]
An extremely influential and powerful wizard in the British Wizarding Community, known in the British Ministry of Magic and throughout the wider wizarding world for his academic brilliance, currently a professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts[9] at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As a teenager, he had a mysterious, summer-long relationship with Grindelwald, which ended on a tragic note. A strong ally of Newt Scamander's, he is called to resist Grindelwald's reign of terror. Toby Regbo reprises his role from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 as a young Dumbledore.[19]
An infamous powerful dark wizard who caused mass violence, terror and chaos around the globe, seeking to lead a new Wizarding World Order based on his strong belief in wizarding superiority. One summer, he shared a deep and mysterious relationship with Albus Dumbledore when they were teenagers, until tragedy struck. He wreaked havoc across Europe before being captured by MACUSA in New York.[9] It was Depp's idea for the character's heterochromia, saying that he saw Grindelwald as "more than one... almost as though he was two people."[22]Jamie Campbell Bower reprises his role from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 as a young Grindelwald.[23][19]
In October 2014, Warner Bros. Pictures announced the film as "at least" a trilogy with the first instalment set to be released on 18 November 2016 followed by the second instalment on 16 November 2018 and the third instalment on 20 November 2020. David Yates was confirmed to direct at least the first instalment of the series.[29][30]
In July 2016, Yates confirmed that J. K. Rowling had written the screenplay for the second film and had ideas for the third.[31] Yates talked to Entertainment Weekly about the second film, saying "we've seen the script for Part 2, for the second movie, which takes the story in a whole new direction – as you should, you don’t want to repeat yourself. The second movie introduces new characters as she builds this part of the Harry Potter universe further. It's a very interesting development from where we start out. The work is pouring out of her."[32] In October 2016, it was reported that the Fantastic Beasts film series would comprise five films, with the second film setting in another global capital city, and Eddie Redmayne would be returning to all films to play the lead role of Newt Scamander.[6] Yates would also return to direct the sequel with producers Rowling, David Heyman, Steve Kloves, and Lionel Wigram.[6]
On 1 November 2016, Deadline Hollywood reported that Johnny Depp had been cast in the film.[20][21] Depp's casting received criticism by some fans, due to domestic violence allegations against him.[33][34] On December 2017, J. K. Rowling posted on her website that she would not reconsider recasting because Depp and his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, had previously expressed hope that the mutual agreement would enable both to move on from the controversy and that "the filmmakers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting, but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies."[35] About Rowling's response, Depp said in October 2018, "I'll be honest with you, I felt bad for J. K. having to field all these various feelings from people out there. I felt bad that she had to take that."[22]
The film is set in the United Kingdom and Paris.[21]Principal photography began on 3 July 2017, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden.[15][36] On 22 September 2017, David Sakurai was cast to play Krall, one of the ambitious and sulky henchman of Grindelwald.[26] Law reportedly finished filming his scenes as Dumbledore in September 2017.[37] On 5 October 2017, several other castings were announced, including Brontis Jodorowsky as Nicolas Flamel and Jessica Williams joining in an undisclosed role.[38] Principal photography wrapped on 20 December 2017.[39]
James Newton Howard confirmed in November 2016 that he would return to compose the music for the film.[40] The soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music on 9 November 2018.[41]
Release
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald had its world premiere at the UGC Ciné Cité Bercy in Paris on 8 November 2018. It was released worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures on 16 November 2018 in IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema and 4DX.[42][43][44]
Screenplay book
As for the previous Fantastic Beasts film, the screenplay by J K Rowling was released as a book shortly after the premiere.[45]
As of 13 February 2019[update], Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has grossed $159.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $493.4 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $652.9 million, against a production budget of $200 million.[1]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Instant Family and Widows, and was projected to gross $65–75 million from 4,163 theatres in its opening weekend.[47] The film made $25.7 million on its first day, including $9.1 million from Thursday night previews, an improvement over the first film's $8.75 million. It went on to debut to $62.2 million, a 16% drop from the first Fantastic Beasts' $74.4 million, and marking the lowest opening for a film in the Wizarding World franchise. Deadline Hollywood noted the lackluster critical reviews and lack of desire from audiences to see a five-film series, as well as current competition in theaters, likely hurt the opening weekend figures.[48] In its second weekend the film dropped 52% to $29.4 million (including $42.9 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame), finishing fourth.[49] In its third weekend the film made $11.4 million, remaining in fourth.[50]
Internationally, the film was expected to gross an additional $188–205 million from 79 countries, for a global debut of about $250 million.[47][51] It made $10.1 million on its first day of release from 10 countries, including $2.6 million in France and $2 million in South Korea. On its second day of release the film began to play in 45 other countries and made another $18.4 million, for a two-day gross of $31 million. It also made $12.8 million on its first day in China, the best of any Wizarding World film in the country.[51] It went on to have an international debut of $191 million, for a global total of $253.2 million, a 2.7% improvement over the first film's debut. Its largest markets were China ($37.5 million), the UK ($16.3 million, or £12.7 million) and Germany ($12.8 million). In several countries it had the best-ever opening for a Wizarding World film, including Russia, Indonesia, Argentina and Brazil.[52]
Critical response
On the review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 37% based on 288 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald has glimmers of the magic familiar to Harry Potter fans, but the story's spell isn't as strong as earlier installments."[53] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[54] It is the lowest-rated Wizarding World film on both websites.[55][56] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, the lowest of the franchise, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 83% positive score and a 69% "definite recommend"; social media monitor RelishMix noted online responses to the film were "mixed".[48]
Andrew Barker of Variety called the film a "cluttered expansion of the Harry Potter franchise" and wrote, "The film throws plenty of plot twists, loud noises, and multihued magical nebulae at us, but rarely is there much tension, or sense of adventure, or any real longing, just the feeling of watching one chess piece after another being moved into position."[57] Writing for The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw gave the film 3/5 stars, praising Law and Depp's performances, but criticising the film's excessive plotting, and saying, "This Fantastic Beasts film is as watchable and entertaining as expected... but some of the wonder, novelty and sheer narrative rush of the first film has been mislaid in favour of a more diffuse plot focus, spread out among a bigger ensemble cast."[58] Sarah Murphy of Exclaim found the film politically relevant, writing, "With the two worlds on the precipice of war, Grindelwald is depicted as a power-hungry populist in an extremely politically divisive time. It's too close to real life to not be terrifying."[59]
Tim Burke, Andy Kind, Christian Manz, and David Watkins
Nominated
Sequels
Initially, in October 2014, the studio announced there would be a Fantastic Beasts trilogy. In July 2016, David Yates confirmed that Rowling had written the screenplay for the second film and had ideas for the third.[62] The third film is set to be released on 20 November 2020.[63][64][65] In October 2016, Rowling stated that the series would be composed of five films.[66]
Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts. As part of his backstory, it is revealed that he is the founder and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation dedicated to fighting Lord Voldemort.
Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has been nominated for ten Golden Globe Awards, winning one for Best Actor for his performance of the title role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2008) and has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Actor, among other accolades.
Death Eater
Death Eaters are characters featured in the Harry Potter series of novels and films. They are a group of dark wizards and dark witches, led by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who seek to purify the Wizarding community by eliminating the Muggle-borns. They also try to create a new order through the Ministry of Magic and spread fear throughout the Wizarding community by terrorising and killing important officials and other enemies of the Death Eaters, chiefly the members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2001 guide book written by British author J. K. Rowling about the magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe. The original version, illustrated by the author herself, purports to be Harry Potter's copy of the textbook of the same name mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first novel of the Harry Potter series. It includes several notes inside it supposedly handwritten by Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, detailing their own experiences with some of the beasts described, and including in-jokes relating to the original series.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's struggle against Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal, overthrow the wizard governing body known as the Ministry of Magic, and subjugate all wizards and Muggles.
Eddie Redmayne
Edward John David Redmayne is an English actor.
Alison Sudol
Alison Sudol is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and music video director. She is known as the singer A Fine Frenzy, and also for her role as Queenie Goldstein in the Fantastic Beasts films Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). Her music has been featured on numerous television shows and in several major motion pictures.
Jamie Campbell Bower
James Metcalfe Campbell Bower is an English actor, singer, and model. He is best known for his roles as Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Caius in The Twilight Saga, King Arthur in the Starz series Camelot, the young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Jace Wayland in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and playwright Kit Marlowe in the short-lived series Will.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2016 fantasy film directed by David Yates. A joint British and American production, it is a spin-off and prequel to the Harry Potter film series, and is produced and written by J. K. Rowling in her screenwriting debut, inspired by her 2001 guide book of the same name. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo, and Colin Farrell. It is the first instalment in the Fantastic Beasts film series, and ninth overall in the Wizarding World franchise, that began with the Harry Potter films.
Wizarding World
The Wizarding World is a fantasy media franchise and shared fictional universe centred on a series of films, based on the Harry Potter novels by British author J. K. Rowling. The films have been in production since 2000, and in that time ten films have been produced—eight are adaptations of the Harry Potter novels and two are part of the Fantastic Beasts series. The films are owned and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, and three more are in various stages of production. The series has collectively grossed over $9.1 billion at the global box office, making it the third-highest-grossing film franchise of all-time.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is an upcoming free-to-play, location-based augmented reality game inspired by the Wizarding World. The game is being developed by WB Games San Francisco and Niantic, and published by Niantic. It is planned to launch on Android and iOS mobile devices, and is expected to use augmented reality similar to Niantic's previous release, Pokémon Go.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (soundtrack)
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the film score to the 2018 film of the same name composed by James Newton Howard. The soundtrack was released digitally on 9 November 2018 by WaterTower Music.
Walcot Square
Walcot Square is a historic square in south London, England. The square is within the London Borough of Lambeth and is unusual for being a triangle shape. The square was designated a conservation area in 1968. The surrounding houses were granted Grade II listed status by Historic England in 1981.
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