Once upon a time, before the Marvel Cinematic Universe became the all-conquering behemoth we know it as today, Harry Potter reigned supreme as the highest-grossing and arguably most popular film franchise in the industry.
Ever since the eight-movie saga starring Daniel Radcliffe and the gang drew to a close a decade ago, though, that popularity has waned a little, if hardly plummeted. Part of the reason is down to anything that happens when J.K. Rowling opens her mouth, as well as the general malaise that surrounds Fantastic Beasts.
Stretching a 128-page book written for charity into five mega-budget blockbusters makes the decision to turn The Hobbit into a trilogy look tame by comparison, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that fans are worried about the prequels running out of gas already. The opener was a solid return to the Wizarding World, but The Crimes of Grindelwald saw the wheels start to come off.
Becoming the lowest-grossing and worst-reviewed entry in any franchise is a painful distinction, especially when it was followed by the firestorm that greeted Johnny Depp being forced out the door and replaced by Mads Mikkelsen. Either way, the fact that The Crimes of Grindelwald isn’t very good doesn’t seem to have stopped it from finding success on streaming. As per FlixPatrol, it’s risen 26 places on the most-watched list overnight to seize the top spot, and we’re not sure why.