J.K. Rowling published the fourth and final warm-up story in advance of the movie “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” which will release later this year.
The story describes life for the magic community in America in the 1920s. Among the more humorous aspects of the story, Rowling says that wizards and witches were free to drink alcohol, despite the Prohibition laws of the non-magical world at the time.
Magical Congress of the USA president Seraphina Picquery was apparently unconcerned with the potential dangers of allowing her people to drink.
“Many critics of this policy pointed out that it made witches and wizards rather conspicuous in cities full of sober No-Majs,” the Pottermore story reads. “However, in one of her rare light-hearted moments, President Picquery was heard to say that being a wizard in America was already hard enough. ‘The Gigglewater,’ as she famously told her Chief of Staff, ‘is non-negotiable.'”
This story also offers clues as to the plot of “Fantastic Beasts.” As Rowling wrote in the previous installment, the magic community in America was very concerned with secrecy, and therefore less accepting of magical creatures, “because of the risk such beasts and spirits posed of alerting No-Majs to the existence of magic.”
In the upcoming film, Eddie Redmayne will play magizoologist Newt Scamander, who travels across the pond with several dangerous magical creatures in his possession. But when some of the creatures escape into 1920s New York, Newt must capture them before it’s too late.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” will hit theaters on Nov. 18.
16 of the Highest Grossing Book-to-Big Screen Adaptations of All Time
"Jaws" (1975)
The first Steven Spielberg-directed movie on the list made $260 million and is based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000)
The Dr. Seuss classic is the only holiday-oriented picture on the list, besting "Jaws" by less than $5,000.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
The first of a series of films based on the work of C.S. Lewis, "The Chronicles of Narnia" grossed $291 million.
"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (2010)
As a whole, the Stephenie Meyer-created "The Twilight Saga" has grossed more than $1.3 billion across five films, but the most successful was "Eclipse," which made over $300.5 million.
"Forrest Gump" (1994)
The award-winning film starring Tom Hanks in the titular role earned well over $329.6 million, a beloved movie based on the Winston Groom novel.
"Alice in Wonderland" (2010)
Though there's been several adaptations of Lewis Carroll's fantastic 1865 novel, no version has been more successful than Disney's interpretation starring Johnny Depp, which took in more than $334 million at the box office.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)
"The Return of the King" grossed $378 million, earning the most of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. All of the adaptations of author J.R.R. Tolkien's series earned more than $315 million.
"Harry Potter and the Death Hallows Part 2" (2011)
The epic finale of the beloved "Harry Potter" series grossed more than $381 million, bringing the domestic box office grand total to $2.39 billion. The wild success of the franchise made its creator, J.K. Rowling, the first and (so far) only billionaire author.
"Jurassic Park" (1993)
Celebrating its 20th anniversary with a 3D release, the flick made $402 million on its initial release. Michael Crichton, author of the novel, had his hands on the screenplay as well.
"Spider-Man" (2002)
Sony's Marvel Comics superhero adaptation "Spider-Man" shot to the top of the box office upon release, raking in more than $403.7 million. Its sequels, "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man 3" were less successful but still earned a combined $710.1 million.
"Iron Man 3" (2013)
The only movie released this year that made the list is "Iron Man 3," and it's a figure Tony Stark would be proud of: $405 million. The trio of movies, starring another Marvel Comics-created superhero, made well over $1 billion worldwide.
"The Hunger Games" (2012)
The highly anticipated sequel, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," is expected to do big business at the box office after its Suzanne Collins-penned predecessor, "The Hunger Games," took in more than $408 million.
"The Lion King" (1994) Filmmakers of "The Lion King" said that the Disney animated film's story is inspired by Shakespeare's "Hamlet" and the Bible. The picture raked in more than $422 million at the box office.
"Shrek 2" (2004) William Steig's picture book "Shrek!" has spawned a major franchise, with the second film about the green ogre grossing the most, $441.2 million.
"The Dark Knight" (2008)The most successful take on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, the Christopher Nolan-helmed trilogy took in almost $1.2 billion combined. The film also gave Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar and brought well over half a billion on its own.
"Marvel's The Avengers" (2012)The Marvel Comics superhero team smashed box office records, earning more than $623.3 million, making it the most successful comic book adaptation to hit theaters to date.
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From "Twlight" to "Harry Potter" to "The Dark Knight" — here are some of the most successful literary adaptations at the domestic box office
"Jaws" (1975)
The first Steven Spielberg-directed movie on the list made $260 million and is based on the Peter Benchley novel of the same name.
