Warner Bros. Snags China Release For 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore'

Warner Bros., a unit of AT&T T, has received approval from the Chinese government for an April 8 release of “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore.”

What Happened: The Chinese opening comes one week before the film has its April 15 premiere in North America. According to a Deadline report, the one-month advance notice of an opening is a relative rarity for U.S. films, which lately have been given very tight windows between receiving permission for release and getting ready for their Chinese opening.

“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore” is the third Warner Bros. title to gain access to China this year, following the January distribution of “The Matrix Resurrections” and the March 18 opening for “The Batman,” which opened stateside on March 4 with a $120 million weekend box office haul.

Why It Matters: “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore” is the latest addition to the Harry Potter-inspired franchise, which is very popular with Chinese audiences. The first entry, 2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” grossed $86 million in China, while 2018’s “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald” brought in $57.3 million.

However, the Chinese authorities are still keeping a rigid control on which U.S. films can be seen in their country. The only other U.S. films to recently gain access to Chinese moviegoers have been the Walt Disney Co.’s DIS “Death on the Nile,” which opened last month, and Sony Pictures’ SONY “Uncharted,” which opens March 14.

The top-grossing U.S. film of 2021, Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which premiered in December, has not been given approval for a Chinese theatrical run.
Photo: Jude Law (center) as Dumbledore in “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore,” courtesy of Warner Bros.