Harry Potter film ranked 'worst' as fans say 'rating absolutely confounds me'

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Image: undefined)

Rotten Tomatoes has compiled a definitive ranking of the Harry Potter films, including the Fantastic Beasts offshoots.

While the top-rated film comes as no surprise, the lowest-ranked entry has left devotees perplexed, with one fan saying: "The rating of this absolutely confounds me." Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 takes the top spot with an impressive 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In contrast, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald languishes at the bottom with a paltry 36% review score. Despite boasting an all-star cast, including Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, and Jude Law, the 2018 film failed to impress critics.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fans are surprised this has the bottom slot (Image: Publicity Picture)

Penned by JK Rowling, the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) received scathing reviews, with one critic remarking: "The Crimes of Grindelwald's lack of awareness goes much deeper than a mere miscasting." Another reviewer was equally unforgiving, stating: "About as exciting as a trip to Hogwarts's most neglected lavatory."

As the second instalment in the Fantastic Beasts series and tenth in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the film's poor reception has left fans scratching their heads, reports the Mirror US. The year is 1927, and the wizarding world is more fractured than ever.

Albus Dumbledore and Newt Scamander join forces to thwart the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald's sinister plans in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The film presents a new array of challenges and unexpected twists, testing the magical community's unity.

Despite receiving mixed reviews, the film still managed to rake in around $654.9 million worldwide, albeit against a substantial production budget of $200 million. This made it the lowest-grossing Harry Potter film at the time, a title it retained until the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in 2022.

The movie earned two BAFTA nominations for Best Production Design and Best Special Visual Effects. A sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, hit theatres in April 2022.

All the Harry Potter films have been ranked

All the Harry Potter films have been ranked (Image: Getty Images)

JK Rowling penned the screenplay, which was later published in book form as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay, following the same pattern as the first Fantastic Beasts film. While critics were divided, fans were more lenient, with one enthusiast commenting: "This is probably my favorite of the fantastic beast movies.

"I love the in depth characteristics and that you see what's going on in the characters heads for each decision that they make. As well this movie was made to be for the older fans that younger fans could still enjoy."

One audience review raved about the film, saying: "The rating of this absolutely confounds me lol this movie is so good! ! Of the 3 this is probably my favorite.

"The story is lovely, acting is great, special effects, all of it. I particularly loved how they tied multiple characters and storylines to the Harry Potter series.

"Overall it's just really pretty and exciting so I have no idea where all the negativity is coming from." And a devotee expressed their unique stance: "Unpopular opinion but I think this movie was the best of the series to date.

"It had tons of magic, intensity and most importantly a great story." Someone else urged ignoring the detractors: "Beautifully shot, wonderfully written, and some fantastic performances.

"Forget the negative reviews, this is worth watching." Here’s the complete roundup of every Harry Potter movie, ranked from the sublime to the less magical.

Full list of all the Harry Potter movies ranked from best to worst: