Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them crossed the $800 million mark last Friday, becoming the eighth-biggest global grosser of the year and Warner Bros./Time Warner Inc.’s second-biggest hit of 2016, behind Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice ($873m). The prequel, part one of a five-part franchise, earned just $230m domestic, a solid sum but well below the $298m-per-movie average domestic gross of the previous eight Harry Potter movies (not adjusted for inflation).
But the film made up for it with a robust $571 million overseas haul, the fourth-biggest of 2016. This is good news for the J.K. Rowling franchise, to be sure. But it’s also encouraging news for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Transformers: The Last Knight.
We’re getting both a fifth Jack Sparrow adventure and a fifth Transformers movie this summer. Walt Disney’s Johnny Depp-starring pirate adventure is dropping over Memorial Day weekend and Paramount/Viacom Inc.’s Michael Bay-directed robot spectacular debuts on June 23.
Both franchises, like the Harry Potter franchise before it, once more-or-less ruled the roost in their respective summers. For example, in 2007, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers were three of the top five grossers of the year, while in 2011 the three franchises took up the top three spots.
The last Transformers movie was the top global grosser of the year in 2014, as the year’s only $1 billion+ earner. The last Pirates movie was the third-biggest grosser of the year, with over $1b worldwide. But both respective installments also took a domestic dive compared to their respective predecessors.
Transformers: Age of Extinction earned “just” $245 million domestic, compared to the $319m, $402m and $351m totals of the previous three offerings (Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction were in 3D). But, partially thanks to a massive $320m China haul, the fourth film earned more ($858m) overseas than the previous three films ($390m, $434m and $771m) and joined Dark of the Moon in the $1 billion+ club.
And in 2011, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides earned “just” $241 million domestic, well below the $305m, $421m and $309m grosses of the first three films. But overseas again saved the day, giving the fourth Jack Sparrow adventure a franchise-high overseas total of $804m, compared to the $348m, $642m and $654m overseas cumes of the first three films. So, Pirates 4 joined Pirates 2 in the $1 billion+ club.
The pattern that “befell” Pirates 4 and Transformers 4 also “befell” Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Fantastic Beasts did not break any J.K. Rowling-specific records for overseas grosses, but it picked up the slack (exchange rates notwithstanding) so that the new film didn’t end up all the way at the bottom of the pile. And, if it needs to be said, a $800 million total for a $180m-budgeted franchise launcher is a win, even if Star Wars and Marvel are now ruling everything the light touches.
The notion that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them could plunge to record-low domestic totals yet still yield impressive worldwide sums is encouraging news for two older franchises looking to continue the “peaked in North America, but still killing it overseas” thing this summer. Even with prior $1 billion-grossing installments, a $700-$800m worldwide cume for The Last Knight and/or Dead Men Tell No Tales wouldn’t necessarily be cause for alarm. And if “not Harry Potter” can do it, then so can Jack Sparrow and Optimus Prime.
