We see it with every anticipated blockbuster sequel, remake, or reboot. Its older siblings always benefit from the exposure and people are refreshing their memories, trying to rewatch the series, be it Matrix or Sonic the Hedgehog. Sometimes they watch it when they get back from the theatre, to keep that feeling going. With Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore it is the same story, really. Both predecessors – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald saw increased interest in available markets but it wasn’t quite enough to get them to the top. The last two weeks after the Academy Awards were simply reserved for a duel between Dune and King Richard. Unlike Spider-Man on other VOD platforms a few weeks ago, Fantastic Beasts didn’t have enough push to get ahead of the pack.
Why? Maybe because the third movie is showing signs of audience fatigue. Producers could blame the global pandemic but not with The Batman concurrently grossing over 750 million dollars worldwide. The first Fantastic Beasts movie got 814 million dollars worldwide, the second one just 654 million. The third is tracking much lower figures and with a 200 million dollar budget, it will be a tight race out of the red numbers. And speaking of The Batman, Bruce Wayne arrived on Easter Monday with the huge push from HBO, so expect him to take the throne very, very soon. The whole industry, Warner Bros. included, was afraid that people would simply wait until it hits the VOD, but with the 130 million opening weekend and 750 million worldwide, the studio can be quite happy. It’s definitely better to have shortened theatre window than a same-day release as Warner Bros. learned the hard way last year.