J. K. Rowlingmay have not always been on the right side of social media thanks to some of her personal opinions, but it seems that hasn’t affected the success of theHarry Potterfranchise. Despite many fans threatening to boycott the boy wizard in recent months, the Wizarding World stage play,Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, continues to break records and to bring enormous profits to the author of the franchise.
Premiered in 2016 in London’s West End,Harry Potter and the Cursed Childhas become one of the biggest new shows of recent years, expanding around the world and debuting in 2018 on Broadway, where it was very well received. But, like most theater productions, even Harry Potter suffered a severe blow with the outbreak of the Covid pandemic back in 2020. Unlike some, however, the magical stage show has come back strong, delivering huge profits in the process.
According toDeadline, HPTP Holdings, the parent company for Rowling’s theatrical interests, reported revenues of £14M in the 12 months to the end of March 2023. This represents a 300% increase over the previous year. Of that total, £5.3M corresponds to profits received in Europe, while £4.6M represents profits from the United States, and £4.1M from the rest of the world.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Childis set 19 years after the events of the original saga, following the story of the epilogue presented inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The plot focuses on Albus Severus Potter, Harry and Ginny’s son during his first year at Hogwarts, after being sorted into the house of Slytherin. While trying to deal with the pressure that comes with his last name, Albus forms a close friendship with Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco Malfoy, his father’s former enemy. Both then embark on an adventure through time using a time-turner, putting the reality they know in danger.
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Will Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Ever Get a Movie or TV Adaptation?
The universe created by J. K. Rowling has a wide variety of characters, stories and places that could be explored in a series or film beyond the original story, something that Warner Bros. Pictures tried to take advantage of withFantastic Beasts.Unfortunately,the saga starring Eddie Redmayne failed to capture the audiencein the same way that the Harry Potter story did, and was canceled after three films despite theoriginal plan for five.
A television series is currently being developed to once again adapt the seven original Harry Potter novels, but David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery hasalready expressed his interest in bringingThe Cursed Childto the screen. So the adventures of Albus and Scorpius could certainly be heading to cinemas sometime in the future.
So, for fans of the Harry Potter franchise, there will be a brand-new version of the saga coming to the small screen in a few years' time, but in the meantime, the original Harry Potter movies can be found streaming on Peacock, and on Max depending on your territory. However, those wanting to experience the story ofHarry Potter and the Cursed Childwill have to head out to the theater where, for the immediate future, the show is playing exclusively.
