J.K. Rowling Ally Tom Felton’s Harry Potter Show Breaks Box Office Records as Emma Watson Fans Push Back

Tom Felton slipped back into Draco Malfoy mode and the box office promptly exploded. Whatever side of the J.K. Rowling debate you fall on, audiences voted with their wallets this week — loudly.

Felton puts Draco back on stage, box office spikes

Felton's return to the Wizarding World on stage helped push 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' to its biggest week ever. Playing to a full house, the Broadway production pulled in about $2.97 million — an all-time weekly record for the show, per THR. The play was already a top-grosser, but this is its peak so far.

Where Felton stands on Rowling (and why that matters)

Felton has long been one of the few core Potter actors who hasn’t publicly distanced himself from J.K. Rowling. On the Tony Awards red carpet, he told Variety he isn’t especially tuned into the online fights about her comments and kept the focus on gratitude for the world she created.

'I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter. She is responsible for that, so I am incredibly grateful.'

He struck a similar note back in 2022, telling The Times that her work brought joy to generations — essentially crediting her with shaping a global fanbase that still shows up.

The Watson–Rowling split, in plain English

This is where things get messy. Emma Watson publicly aligned with the trans community in 2020 with a clear statement on X.

'Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they are not who they say they are.'

In September 2025, Rowling directly addressed Watson’s criticisms in a lengthy post on X and called the actor 'ignorant.' Rowling kept posting about gender identity; Watson kept supporting trans fans. That back-and-forth hardened into a very visible rift, and it helps explain why Felton’s stance creates mild discussion while Watson vs. Rowling routinely ignites full-on discourse.

The audience keeps showing up anyway

Rowling’s comments continue to generate backlash cycles online, and yet the Wizarding World refuses to slow down in the real world. The $2.97M week for 'Cursed Child' is the headline, but it fits a larger trend: merch still moves, the theme parks stay crowded, and partners across film, TV, streaming, and theater keep betting on this universe because the interest never really dips.

• How fans are navigating it: some separate the art from the artist entirely; some buy books and merch second-hand; others zero in on cast-led moments — reunions, conventions, Felton’s current stage run — and leave the creator discourse at the door.

Big picture

The franchise is bigger than any one person at this point. Felton’s run proves that when you put Wizarding World storytelling in front of people, they still connect with it — and they will keep defining what that connection looks like on their own terms.

What is your take on Felton’s stance and the Watson–Rowling fallout? Drop your thoughts below.

All eight 'Harry Potter' movies are streaming on Peacock.