Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
A 2018 fantasy film following Newt and Dumbledore against Grindelwald.
In 2018, David Yates directed a fantasy film written by J. K. Rowling called *Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald*. This movie follows *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them* from 2016, making it the second chapter in the Fantastic Beasts series and the tenth film overall in the Wizarding World universe. The story takes place in 1927, where Newt Scamander and Albus Dumbledore work to stop the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, all while the wizarding community grows more fractured and dangerous.
The cast includes Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp. Warner Bros. announced a second Fantastic Beasts movie in October 2014, and Rowling confirmed she had finished the script by July 2016. Depp joined the cast in November 2016, which sparked controversy because of domestic violence allegations against him. Law signed on in April 2017. Principal photography started in July 2017 at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England, with additional filming in London, Switzerland, and Paris, wrapping up in December 2017.
The film premiered in Paris on 8 November 2018 and hit theaters in the UK and US on 16 November 2018, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It earned $654.9 million globally, ranking as the tenth highest-grossing film of 2018. Upon release, it became the lowest-earning installment in the Wizarding World franchise, a record it held until its sequel, *Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore*, came out in 2022. Critics gave it mixed reviews, saying it had too many characters and was weighed down by details setting up future sequels. At the 72nd British Academy Film Awards, it received nominations for Best Production Design and Best Special Visual Effects. The follow-up, *Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore*, was released in April 2022.
**Plot** In 1927, the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA) moves the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald to Europe for trial, but he escapes. Three months later in London, Newt Scamander asks the Ministry of Magic to lift his international travel ban. While there, he runs into Leta Lestrange, a former Hogwarts classmate now engaged to his brother, Theseus. The Ministry agrees to Newt’s request if he helps Theseus find Credence Barebone, who is in Paris. Newt refus
- release_year
- 2018
- director
- David Yates
- writer
- J. K. Rowling
- genre
- Fantasy
- box_office
- $654.9 million worldwide
- series_position
- Second instalment in Fantastic Beasts series, tenth in Wizarding World franchise
Lore & Background
The film was announced in October 2014, and Rowling confirmed in July 2016 that she had completed the script. Johnny Depp was cast in November 2016, causing some controversy due to domestic violence allegations made against him. Jude Law signed on in April 2017. Principal photography began in July 2017 at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, in England, and also took place in London, Switzerland, and Paris, wrapping in December 2017. The film premiered in Paris on 8 November 2018 and was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and United States on 16 November 2018, by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Reader's Guide
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald grossed $654.9 million worldwide, making it the tenth highest-grossing film of 2018. It became the lowest-grossing instalment of the Wizarding World franchise upon release, which it remained until the release of its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, in 2022. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics, as it was viewed to have been filled with too many characters and 'overburdened' with sequel-dependent details. At the 72nd British Academy Film Awards, the film was nominated for Best Production Design and Best Special Visual Effects. Its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, was released in April 2022.
Did You Know?
- The film was the lowest-grossing instalment of the Wizarding World franchise upon release until the 2022 sequel.
- Johnny Depp's casting in November 2016 caused controversy due to domestic violence allegations made against him.
- The film was nominated for Best Production Design and Best Special Visual Effects at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards.
- Principal photography began in July 2017 and wrapped in December 2017, with filming locations including London, Switzerland, and Paris.
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