Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Yates
Written byJ. K. Rowling
Produced by
  • David Heyman
  • J. K. Rowling
  • Steve Kloves
  • Lionel Wigram
Starring
CinematographyPhilippe Rousselot
Edited byMark Day
Music byJames Newton Howard
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures[1]
Release dates
  • 10 November 2016 (2016-11-10) (Alice Tully Hall)
  • 18 November 2016 (2016-11-18) (United Kingdom and United States)
Running time
133 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States[3][4]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$175–200 million[5][6][7]
Box office$814 million[8][9]

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2016 fantasy film directed by David Yates and written by J. K. Rowling in her debut as a screenwriter. It is the first instalment in the Fantastic Beasts film series and the ninth overall in the Wizarding World franchise, serving as a spin-off of and prequel to the Harry Potter film series. Newt Scamander's guide book of the same name—written by Rowling under the pen name in 2001 for the charity Comic Relief—inspired the film. It features an ensemble cast including Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo, Ron Perlman and Colin Farrell.

A new Wizarding World film series was first announced in September 2013, two years after the final Harry Potter film—Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2—was released. The following month, it was also announced that producer David Heyman and writer Steve Kloves, who were both Potter film franchise veterans, will return in the film series. In August 2014, Warner Bros. announced that Yates will direct at least one film of the planned trilogy, after rumors in which Alfonso Cuarón would direct, of which he refuted three months earlier. Filming took place from August 2015 to January 2016, at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, and also on location in England.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them premiered at Alice Tully Hall in New York City on 10 November 2016, and was released in theatres in the United States and in the United Kingdom on 18 November, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and emerged a commercial success, grossing $814 million worldwide, finishing its theatrical run as the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2016. It received five nominations at the 70th British Academy Film Awards, including Best British Film, and won for Best Production Design. The film was also nominated for two awards at the 89th Academy Awards and won for Best Costume Design, becoming the first Wizarding World film to win an Academy Award.[10] Two sequels—Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)—have been released.

  1. ^ a b c "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022. 132m 40s.
  3. ^ Newman, Kim (18 November 2016). "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them review: a fiddly start for J.K. Rowling's wizarding prequels". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them". British Council. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  5. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (13 November 2018). "Box Office: 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' Sequel Heads for $250 Million Global Launch". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Open was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  10. ^ Dornbush, Jonathon (26 February 2017). "Oscars 2017: Fantastic Beasts Wins First Academy Award for Harry Potter Franchise". IGN. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.