Emma Watson, known for her role in the enormously successful Harry Potter series, raised an eyebrow when Warner Bros. decided to split the final film into two parts. Despite the hefty paycheck involved, Watson couldn’t shake off suspicions that the move was nothing but a cash grab. It seemed like Warner Bros. was capitalizing on the hype, leaving the actress feeling a bit skeptical about the whole situation.
Why Was Emma Watson Against Splitting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Into Parts?
The Harry Potter books were already a sensation, but when the movies hit the big screen, they became a cultural phenomenon of epic proportions. By the time the saga wrapped up in 2011, it felt like the whole world knew about the Boy Who Lived.
So, when Emma Watson, who played Hermione in the franchise, heard about the decision to split the final film into two parts, she couldn’t help but be a skeptic. In her eyes, it seemed like Warner Bros. was trying to milk the franchise for all it was worth. She spoke to Collider in 2010, revealing her thoughts about the whole ordeal. She said,
“At first, I’ll be honest, at first I was like ‘Oh my goodness’ cause we were doing [movie] 6 at the time, I was like ‘Oh my God three more movies’ I was just overwhelmed, I was like wow that is a lot, I was like, ‘Is this a money-spinner?’ You know I was very cynical and dubious about it. I’ll be honest I was not immediately impressed.”
The actress later disclosed the true rationale behind the split, further revealing,
“I thought about it and I talked about it with David, the producers, and they said ‘Look, there’s no way we can fit everything into one movie. It’ll be too much. It won’t be a good movie, it won’t be true to the book. As soon as I saw the logic behind it I realized that it was absolutely the way we had to do it. So yeah, it made total sense and I was totally behind it. Certainly, at first, I had my reservations.”
Splitting the story into two films was a wise move, allowing for a better adaptation of the books and giving audiences time to absorb the story. However, Watson wasn’t all wrong as well as the decision paid off massively, with both movies grossing $2.3 billion collectively against a budget of $250 million. Which was, to be honest absolutely insane!
How Much Did Emma Watson Earn from Harry Potter?
From earning a mere sprinkle of gold dust as Hermione Granger at the franchise’s inception to a whopping $30 million by the two-part grand finale, Emma Watson’s journey is straight out of a wizarding tale, as reported by Cosmopolitan.
Initially pocketing less than a million for her role in the series opener, her salary only increased from that point onwards.
As her popularity soared, so did Emma Watson’s earnings, climbing to a remarkable $4 million for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It is estimated that she has earned a staggering $70 million from the franchise. Now boasting a net worth of $85 million, Watson has cemented her status among the elite in Hollywood, earning nods from Forbes as one of the world’s highest-paid actresses.
The entire Harry Potter franchise is available to stream on Max.
