Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Plot

In 1926, British wizard and "magizoologist" Newt Scamander arrives in New York City. He observes Mary Lou Barebone, the non-magical ("No-Maj" or "Muggle") head of the New Salem Philanthropic Society, preaching that witches and wizards are real and dangerous. Attempting to recapture a Niffler that escapes from his suitcase of magical creatures, Newt bumps into No-Maj Jacob Kowalski, an aspiring baker, and unwittingly swaps suitcases. Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein, a demoted Auror of the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA), spots the Niffler and arrests Newt for breaking magical law. Since the suitcase Newt holds contains only Jacob's baked goods, he is released. At home, Jacob opens Newt's suitcase, inadvertently freeing several creatures into the city, and is bitten by one.

Tina and Newt follow a trail of wreckage and track down an ill Jacob and the case. To cure Jacob, Tina takes them both to her apartment and introduces them to Queenie, her Legilimens sister. Jacob and Queenie are mutually attracted, though it is illegal for wizards and witches to have any social relationship with No-Majs in America. To cure Jacob, Newt takes him inside his magically expanded suitcase, which houses various creatures, including an Obscurial of a deceased girl, a parasite that develops inside magically gifted children when their abilities are suppressed; those afflicted rarely live past the age of 10.

After Newt and Jacob recapture two of the four escaped beasts, Tina grabs and returns the suitcase to MACUSA, but all three are arrested. Officials believe the Obscurial in Newt's case is responsible for the spate of destruction, including the killing of Senator Henry Shaw Jr., when instead the destruction was caused by a second Obscurial already in the city. The Director of Magical Security, Percival Graves, accuses Newt of conspiring with the infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, and decides to destroy Newt's case and its contents, and obliviate Jacob's recent memories. Newt and Tina are sentenced to death. Upon sensing this, Queenie rescues Jacob and helps Newt and Tina escape and retrieve the case before the sentences can be carried out. Later, in a speakeasy dive bar, a tip from Tina's goblin informant Gnarlak leads the four to recapture the last two escaped creatures.

Graves approaches Credence, Mary Lou's adult adopted son, offering to free him from his abusive mother in exchange for helping to find the destructive Obscurial. Credence finds a wand under his younger adopted sister Modesty's bed. Mary Lou assumes it is his, but just as Credence is to be punished, the Obscurial kills Mary Lou and her elder adopted daughter, Chastity. Assuming Modesty is the Obscurial's host, Graves dismisses Credence as a squib reneging on his promise to teach him magic in return for service. Credence reveals he is the real host, having survived to maturity due to the intensity of his magic, and openly attacks the city.

Cast

Eddie Redmayne as Newt ScamanderAn introverted British wizard, magizoologist and a former employee of the Ministry of Magic. Scamander is the future author of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry standard textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Redmayne, who was a fan of the series, was cast in June 2015. Nicholas Hoult was also considered for the role before Redmayne was cast.

Katherine Waterston as Tina GoldsteinA grounded, down-to-earth witch and one-time Auror employed by MACUSA. She longs to fight for what is right, but was demoted to a position well below her skill level.

Dan Fogler as Jacob KowalskiA genial Muggle cannery worker and aspiring baker who is exposed to the New York City magical community after he and Newt accidentally switch suitcases. Before Fogler was cast, Michael Cera was in talks to play the role, but later passed on it to voice Robin in The Lego Batman Movie. In a 2025 interview, Cera said he turned it down due to a fear of him getting "too famous".

Alison Sudol as Queenie GoldsteinTina's younger sister and roommate. Described as a free-spirited, big-hearted bombshell, she is a naturally born and skilled Legilimens.

Samantha Morton as Mary Lou BareboneA narrow-minded No-Maj and the sinister leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society or "The Second-Salemers", a group whose goals include exposing and killing wizards and witches.

Ezra Miller as Credence BareboneA secret Obscurial wizard and Mary Lou's troubled adopted son.

Jon Voight as Henry Shaw SnrA newspaper owner and the father of U.S. Senator Henry Shaw Jnr and Langdon Shaw.

Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina PicqueryThe President of MACUSA, the Magical Congress of the United States of America. As such, she is the American equivalent of the British Minister for Magic.

Colin Farrell as Percival GravesA high-ranking auror and Director of Magical Security for MACUSA, responsible for the protection of witches and wizards. Since Grindelwald spends most of the first film disguised as Graves, Colin Farrell portrays him in those scenes.

Production

Development

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is mentioned several times as a school textbook in the Harry Potter book series, with Scamander named as the author. In 2001, Rowling published an edition of the "textbook" to be sold to raise money for the British charity Comic Relief. The book is a directory of magical creatures with an introduction by its author, Newt Scamander. It does not contain a narrative.

First announced in September 2013 just two years after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the Fantastic Beasts project marked Rowling's debut as a screenwriter. The film sees the return of producer David Heyman, as well as writer Steve Kloves, both veterans of the Potter film franchise. There were rumors that Alfonso Cuarón would direct, which he refuted in May 2014. Warner Bros. announced that David Yates would direct at least the first instalment of a planned trilogy. James Newton Howard was brought on board to score the film.

Filming

Principal photography began on 17 August 2015, at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, in Hertfordshire, England and wrapped in January 2016. Several scenes were shot on location in London. After two months, the production moved to the Cunard Building and St George's Hall in Liverpool, which was transformed into 1920s New York City. Framestore in London produced the visual effects for the film.

Music

On 9 April 2016, the film's website announced that James Newton Howard would write and compose the score. On 24 October 2016, Pottermore published an official first look at the film's main theme composed by Howard. The main theme incorporated John Williams' themes from the Harry Potter films, such as "Hedwig's Theme". The soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music on 18 November 2016, coinciding with the film's release worldwide.

Visual effects

The visual effects were provided by Cinesite, DNEG, Framestore, Image Engine, Moving Picture Company, Milk VFX and Rodeo FX.

Marketing

On 4 November 2015, Entertainment Weekly released the first official publicity shots of the film, including pictures of characters Newt, Tina and Queenie, and behind-the-scenes shots of production and filming on various sets designed to mirror 1920s New York City. On 10 December 2015, @Fantastic Beasts announced on Twitter that an "announcement trailer" would be released on 15 December. A teaser poster was also released along with the one-minute trailer.

During "A Celebration of Harry Potter" at Universal Orlando Resort in February 2016, a featurette was released showcasing several interviews with various cast and crew members, as well as the first official behind-the-scenes footage. On 10 April 2016, the first "teaser trailer" was released during the MTV Movie Awards. On 10 August 2016, more information and publicity shots for the film were released through Entertainment Weekly, with new information on Ezra Miller's character, Credence Barebone, and the news that Zoë Kravitz would have a role in the series. New images released at the time include the quartet running down a New York City alleyway; David Yates chatting to stars Katherine Waterston and Eddie Redmayne on the set in front of a blown out subway station; Colin Farrell's character, Percival Graves, interrogating an arrested and handcuffed Newt; and Graves and Credence putting up anti-magic propaganda. A final trailer for the film was released on 28 September 2016.

Tie-in literature and merchandise

The film's script was published in book form on 18 November 2016. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay was written by Rowling herself.

On 7 March 2016, a trailer-preview was released about the History of Magic in North America as it is in the Harry Potter universe. On 7 October 2016, Rowling also released on Pottermore four pieces of writing exclusively as an introduction to the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, titled History of Magic in North America. It includes information about scourers in North America, brutal and violent magical mercenaries who played a significant role in the historic Salem witch trials of the 1600s; info about various American wand makers; the role magic played in World War I; the foundation of MACUSA; the harsh enforcement No-Maj/Wizarding segregation; and life in 1920s Wizarding America; with info about wand permits and prohibition; and her fictionalized ideas of "Native American Magic."

On 28 June 2016, Rowling released a second part to her History of Magic in North America series, concerning the fictitious Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, detailing the founding of the pre-eminent American Wizarding academy and allowing users to sort themselves into one of the four houses of the school. The school itself is mentioned in the film.

A "story pack" based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released for the video game Lego Dimensions by WB Games and TT Games. The pack includes a constructible model of MACUSA, figures of Newt Scamander and a Niffler, and a six-level game campaign adapted from the film's events. The pack was released on the same day as the film, alongside a "fun pack" containing figures of Tina Goldstein and a Swooping Evil. The cast of the film reprises their roles in the game.

Release

Theatrical

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them had its world premiere at Alice Tully Hall in New York City on 10 November 2016 and was released worldwide on 18 November 2016.

Home media

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released on Digital HD on 7 March 2017, and on 4K UHD, 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD on 28 March 2017.

Reception

Box office

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them grossed $234 million in the United States and Canada and $580 million in other countries for a total of $814 million. The film was made on a budget of $175 million, with an additional $150 million spent on marketing. Worldwide, the film grossed $219.9 million during its opening weekend in around 64 markets on 24,200 screens, both the fifth biggest in Rowling's wizarding cinematic universe, and the seventh biggest for the month of November 2016. IMAX totalled $15 million from 605 screens. Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $164 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film, making it the ninth-most profitable release of 2016.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them went on general release in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 18 November 2016. It debuted with £15.33 million ($19.15 million) from 666 cinemas, the biggest debut of any film in 2016, ahead of the previous record holder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (£14.62 million). The film vied with Bridget Jones' Baby and briefly won first place, only to be surpassed during the last days of 2016 by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

In the United States and Canada, estimates predicted that the film would gross $68–85 million—or more—in its opening weekend. The film was released on 18 November in 4,143 cinemas, of which 388 were IMAX screens, and more than 3,600 were showing the film in 3D. It grossed $29.7 million on its first day, the second-lowest opening day among Rowling's adaptations (behind the $29.6 million Friday of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). This included $8.75 million it earned from Thursday-night preview screenings beginning at 6 p.m. in 3,700 cinemas. In total, the film earned $74.4 million in its opening weekend, falling in line with projections and finishing first at the box office, but it recorded the lowest opening among films in Rowling's Harry Potter universe. It made $8 million from 388 IMAX screens, $9 million from 500 premium large-format locations and $1.75 million from Cinemark XD.

The film's opening was considered a hit, taking into account the fact that the story was not based on an existing, popular source, and the film itself was missing the franchise's main character, Harry Potter. It was the top choice among moviegoers, representing 47% of the weekend's total $157.6 million tickets sales. On its second Friday, it had a gradual drop of 37% ($18.5 million) from the week before, the second-best Friday drop for any Harry Potter film, behind The Philosopher's Stone. This was in part due to Black Friday, the most lucrative day of the Thanksgiving Day stretch. It ended up grossing $45.1 million in its second weekend (a drop of just 39.4%), finishing 2nd at the box office behind newcomer Moana.

Critical response

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a rating of 74% based on 347 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them draws on Harry Potter's rich mythology to deliver a spin-off that dazzles with franchise-building magic all its own." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score 66 out of 100, based on reviews from 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 90% positive score and a 74% "definite recommend".

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film five out of five stars, hailing it as "a rich, baroque, intricately detailed entertainment" and a "terrifically good-natured, unpretentious and irresistibly buoyant film". NME's Larry Bartleet also gave it five out of five, calling it "more enchanting to your inner kid than the Potter films ever were". Robbie Collin of The Telegraph called the film a "spectacular feat of world-building" and said "The film is immaculately cast, and the chemistry between its four heroes holds your eye with its firework fizz." IndieWire's Eric Kohn gave the film a B+ saying that it "delivers the most satisfying period fantasy since Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ", and that its layers of sophistication made it one of the best Hollywood blockbusters of the year. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film 3 out of 4 and expressed surprise at the analogies underlying the film, calling it "the first anti-Trump blockbuster". He calls Rowling "a champion of outsiders facing intolerance, segregation and demonization" and that although the film gets bogged down in exposition, the unexpectedly moving subtext carries the day. Travers concludes "The real stars here are the beasts, supposedly ugly, weird and dangerous, but paragons of FX creativity in service of genuine ideas."

Mike Ryan of Uproxx gave the film a positive review, writing "Newt Scamander is nothing like Harry, but it has to be this way. It all has to be different. And it is, but, again, with just enough 'sameness' to make us feel like we are at home again. I'm looking forward to wherever these movies are taking us". John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film is "likely to draw in just about everyone who followed the Potter series and to please most of them".

In a mixed review, Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club found the film "patchy but occasionally charming." David Edelstein of New York Magazine called it a "distinctly unmagical slog", remarking that the beasts "aren't especially fantastic and the effects are too blandly corporate to be exhilarating".

Accolades

The film was nominated for two Academy Awards and won for Best Costume Design, becoming the first Wizarding World film to win an Academy Award. It was also nominated for five British Academy Film Awards, including Best British Film, and won for Best Production Design.

Sequels

Initially, in October 2014, the studio announced the film would be the start of a trilogy. In July 2016, David Yates confirmed that Rowling had written the screenplay for the second film and had ideas for the third. In October 2016, Rowling announced that the series would comprise five films.

The first sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, was released on 16 November 2018. The second sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, was released in the United Kingdom on 8 April 2022 and in the United States on 15 April 2022.