What Does the Future Look Like for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”?
Since its first performance in 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has become a firm part of our fandom. But with a plummet in sales and the production closing in some cities, how long will the play still be around in its current forms?
A Deadline report released last week shares that the pre-tax profits of one of the production companies behind Cursed Child, Harry Potter Theatrical Productions, fell by 84% from last year. The company’s reported revenue fell by $8.2 million (£6.6 million) this financial period. Brontë Film and TV, which owns Harry Potter Theatrical Productions and adapts J.K. Rowling’s works for TV, also reported a huge decline in pre-tax profits, with a 74% drop from $8.6 million (£6.9 million) to $2.2 million (£1.8 million) over the last year.
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The production itself has also clearly been struggling somewhat, with the play bidding farewell to San Francisco in September of last year and coming toward its closing date in Melbourne despite a record-breaking run in both cities. There was also a historical decline in New York, with ticket prices falling from an average of $154.44 to $78.45 between 2018 and 2019, as reported at the time by Forbes. The transitions to a one-part play that have been made across the world could also be a result of a bad spell, with all venues other than the show’s original home at the Palace Theatre in the West End opting for a single-part play.
Not all news about the play is negative, however. The Broadway production broke its own record for the third time at the start of this year, grossing $2,671,191 for the week ending January 1, 2023. The play is also performing better on Broadway as a one-part production than a two-part production. Its first non-English-language version, in Hamburg, Germany, has also been doing well since moving to a one-part play, hitting a record number of visitors and averaging 90% capacity last December. The play has also got back to its winning ways recently, with Cursed Child Toronto receiving eight nominations and one win at last year’s Dora Mavor Moore Awards.
Outstanding Lighting Design (General) Neil Austin – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child pic.twitter.com/nupinockIT
— DoraMavorMooreAwards (@DoraAwards) September 20, 2022
So why are profits declining, why are shows closing, and what does the future look like for Cursed Child? In a statement regarding last year’s earnings, Brontë Film and TV said that the decline came as a result of“lower income streams and profit shares from theatrical productions [that] were closed for a large part of the [financial] period due to Covid restrictions.” While the show is still selling out crowds and seeing success at awards ceremonies, it’s hard to believe that it will disappear from stages completely, and we’re happy to say that there are no rumors of further closures. However, there are also no rumors of any new venues, cities, or countries that will be visited by the show, and while there is always a possibility of plays going on tour, there’s been no mention of that happening for Cursed Child either.
There is, however, a rumor of a Cursed Child film. According to the Sun, Warner Bros. has been looking into the possibility of transferring the play from stage to screen. The Sun‘s unnamed source explained, “It has been in [Warner Bros.] sights since the play proved to be so popular in the West End,” further describing how “it’s full steam ahead when it comes to developing The [sic] Cursed Child“ since the production company’s move away from the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The source also suggests that there is a possibility that we could see Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint return to their roles in the Wizarding World franchise should the film be produced.
Everyone who works within the Harry world wants Daniel to be back, but first they have to iron out the plan for how many films it will be, a reworked script and budgets.
What are you hoping lies in the future for Cursed Child? Would you like to see a film, or would you prefer more locations for the stage show? Let us know what you think about the play’s future in the comments below.
