In the Q3 Earnings Call of WBD, David Zaslav expressed focusing on franchises like JK Rowling and Harry Potter content more in the future.
This was part of Zaslav’s response to Declan Cahill, Vice President of Wells Fargo. Cahill asked during the call:
when you think about what content is going to look like in the future, I was just wondering if you could kind of say how it’s going to be different under Warner Bros. Discovery than what it is under Warner Media?
David Zaslav Looks Into More JK Rowling And Harry Potter For WBD
Immediately, Zaslav made it clear. WBD will be really focusing on franchises. He even noted that Warner Bros hasn’t had a Superman movie nor a Happy Potter movie for more than a decade. The two movies belong to the two franchises that provided high profit margins for Warner Brothers Motion Pictures in the last quarter of the century.
Furthermore, he notes that franchises is one of the big advantages of WBD. In fact the existence of House of the Dragon from Game of Thrones is evidence to this claim. Even further, he cites Sex in the City, theatrical release of Lord of the Rings as assets they can look into. Basically, movies that are familiar to the whole world.
Especially noting that he intends to do something with the Harry Potter franchise going forward. Could JK Rowling expect a call anytime soon? It’s quite possible.
Franchise movies, according to Zaslav, often make twice or thrice the amount of money worldwide versus domestic box office. Primarily because the big movies are familiar to audiences that they will be willing to make the necessary arrangements to go out, buy tickets and see the movies.
David Zaslav Looks Into More JK Rowling And Harry Potter For WBD
Image: Warner Bros.
In the business perspective, what he sees is not without evidence. They see the viewership, they see the box office returns. Numbers in the box office are the best indicators on which titles sell in the theaters. On the otherhand, viewership and subscription streaming correspond to healthy operations for streaming companies. WBD also has the option of advertising-based video on demand as well as free videos with advertisements.
Indeed, WBD is sitting on a ton of potential. We do wonder if WBD will be able to close a deal with JK Rowling. There is an existing story beyond Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Perhaps WBD can look into a screenplay adaptation of Harry Potter and the The Cursed Child. Jack Thorne wrote the play from an original story that he, Rowling, and John Tiffany made.
There is the matter of JK Rowling’s current social media presence. WBD would have to work its way around the quagmire of opinions about JKR’s work. Still, there is the majority of people wanting to see a continuation or a story within the wizarding world that the author magically built.
