10 Famous Films That Failed To Turn A Profit Thanks To Hollywood Accounting

The Harry Potter movies make up one of the most successful film franchises in cinema history, second only to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Over the course of its eight films the franchise has raked in a staggering $7.7 billion and its final instalment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, to date remains Warner Brothers highest grossing film internationally.

By any measure, the franchise is a huge cash cow for Warner Brothers so it came as quite a surprise when the studio’s net profit for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix were leaked online and showed a loss of over $167 million despite reported worldwide box office takings of $939.9 million.

Some of the studio’s more audacious expense claims included paying itself almost $212 million in distribution fees and a further $57 million in undefined interest charges – truly a magic trick more impressive than all of the boy wizard’s spells combined.