Best Movies like Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

If you were drawn to the magical showdowns and divided loyalties in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, you’re likely searching for more movies that blend fantasy adventure with high-stakes conflict. This film’s clash between powerful wizards and its richly imagined world set the stage for stories where danger lurks behind every spell and alliances are never simple. Below, you’ll find recommendations that capture the same sense of wonder, intrigue, and magical tension.

Discover your next magical adventure here.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Nowhere is safe.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 26m
Release date: 17th November 2010
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (7.7/10)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 features escalating conflict between magical factions and explores tested loyalties, similar to the divided wizarding world and shifting alliances at the heart of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Harry, Ron and Hermione walk away from their last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, putting an end to Voldemort's bid for immortality. But with Harry's beloved Dumbledore dead and Voldemort's unscrupulous Death Eaters on the loose, the world is more dangerous than ever. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 2h 26m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 7.7 by 20,583 people. The movie made an estimated total of $954,305,868 in the box office.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

It all ends.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 10m
Release date: 12th July 2011
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (8.1/10)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 continues the magical struggle for dominance and highlights generational battles in the wizarding world, echoing the central premise of wizards facing grave dangers and ideological divides in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their quest to vanquish the evil Voldemort once and for all. Just as things begin to look hopeless for the young wizards, Harry discovers a trio of magical objects that endow him with powers to rival Voldemort's formidable skills. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 2h 10m runtime, released in 2011 with an average rating of 8.1 by 22,203 people. The movie made an estimated total of $1,341,511,219 in the box office.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The rebellion begins.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 18m
Release date: 8th July 2007
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (7.7/10)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix shares a focus on a secretive magical society facing internal schisms and external threats, resonating with the themes of division, leadership challenges, and resistance among wizards seen in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

When a new professor's methods leave Hogwarts unprepared to fight the rising tide of evil, Harry teaches students how to defend against the dark arts. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 2h 18m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.7 by 21,010 people. The movie made an estimated total of $938,212,738 in the box office.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Explore a new era of J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World.
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Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 13m
Release date: 16th November 2016
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.3/10)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them introduces Newt Scamander and the foundations of the conflict with Grindelwald, providing direct continuity in characters, setting, and the growing tension between magical and non-magical worlds found in The Crimes of Grindelwald.

In 1926, Newt Scamander arrives at the Magical Congress of the United States of America with a magically expanded briefcase, which houses a number of dangerous creatures and their habitats. When the creatures escape from the briefcase, it sends the American wizarding authorities after Newt, and threatens to strain even further the state of magical and non-magical relations. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 2h 13m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 7.3 by 19,834 people. The movie made an estimated total of $809,342,332 in the box office.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Stay peculiar.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 7m
Release date: 28th September 2016
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.8/10)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children centers on a hidden society with supernatural abilities, set apart from non-magical society, paralleling the secretive magical communities and focus on prejudice between worlds seen in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

A teenager finds himself transported to an island where he must help protect a group of orphans with special powers from creatures intent on destroying them. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 2h 7m runtime, released in 2016 with an average rating of 6.8 by 10,562 people. The movie made an estimated total of $296,482,446 in the box office.

Stardust

This summer a star falls. The chase begins.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Family
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 7m
Release date: 10th August 2007
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.3/10)

Stardust weaves a narrative of magical adventure, crossing between ordinary and fantastic realms, with characters navigating alliances and dangerous quests—mirroring the blend of fantastical settings and personal loyalties central to Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm. His journey takes him into a world beyond his wildest dreams and reveals his true identity. Stardust is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 2h 7m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 7.3 by 4,521 people. The movie made an estimated total of $137,500,000 in the box office.

The Golden Compass

There are worlds beyond our own. The compass will show the way.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 53m
Release date: 4th December 2007
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.1/10)

The Golden Compass presents a society divided by powerful, mystical forces and features a young protagonist swept into conflicts with wide-reaching consequences, echoing the themes of magical hierarchy and escalating tensions found in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

In a parallel universe, after overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny. The Golden Compass is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 53m runtime, released in 2007 with an average rating of 6.1 by 4,889 people. The movie made an estimated total of $372,234,864 in the box office.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

There is a world hidden within our own.
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Genre: Fantasy, Action, Mystery
Country: Germany
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 10m
Release date: 21st August 2013
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.4/10)

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones explores the existence of secret magical factions and a hidden war in contemporary society, which aligns with the themes of divided wizarding societies and identity struggles present in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

In New York City, Clary Fray, a seemingly ordinary teenager, learns that she is descended from a line of Shadowhunters — half-angel warriors who protect humanity from evil forces. After her mother disappears, Clary joins forces with a group of Shadowhunters and enters Downworld, an alternate realm filled with demons, vampires, and a host of other creatures. Clary and her companions must find and protect an ancient cup that holds the key to her mother's future. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a movie from Germany in English, with a total 2h 10m runtime, released in 2013 with an average rating of 6.4 by 4,676 people. The movie made an estimated total of $95,396,573 in the box office.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

It's the coolest job ever.
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Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 49m
Release date: 13th July 2010
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.1/10)

The Sorcerer's Apprentice explores an apprentice's journey into a concealed world of magic, guided by experienced mentors, and confronts battles between opposing magical forces, recalling the teacher-student dynamic and high-stakes magical conflicts of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Balthazar Blake is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath. Balthazar can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler, a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 49m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.1 by 5,333 people. The movie made an estimated total of $215,300,000 in the box office.

Seventh Son

When darkness falls, the son will rise.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: Canada
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 42m
Release date: 12th December 2014
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (5.5/10)

Seventh Son showcases a young protagonist navigating mentorship within a magical hierarchy and facing a looming supernatural threat, reflecting the mentor-student relationship and escalating magical conflicts depicted in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

John Gregory, who is a seventh son of a seventh son and also the local spook, has protected the country from witches, boggarts, ghouls and all manner of things that go bump in the night. However John is not young anymore, and has been seeking an apprentice to carry on his trade. Most have failed to survive. The last hope is a young farmer's son named Thomas Ward. Will he survive the training to become the spook that so many others couldn't? Seventh Son is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 42m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 5.5 by 2,681 people. The movie made an estimated total of $114,178,613 in the box office.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Worlds collide.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 58m
Release date: 1st February 2010
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.2/10)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief follows a young man discovering and accepting his role in mythic conflicts, set in a world where magical beings must navigate society’s dangers and divisions, echoing the divided magical world in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Accident prone teenager, Percy discovers he's actually a demi-God, the son of Poseidon, and he is needed when Zeus' lightning is stolen. Percy must master his new found skills in order to prevent a war between the Gods that could devastate the entire world. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 2010 with an average rating of 6.2 by 7,901 people. The movie made an estimated total of $226,497,209 in the box office.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Their world is closer than you think.
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Genre: Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Drama
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 35m
Release date: 14th February 2008
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (6.7/10)

The Spiderwick Chronicles features siblings stumbling into a secret world with magical creatures and battling hidden dangers, paralleling the concealed magical societies and perilous discoveries central to Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Upon moving into the run-down Spiderwick Estate with their mother, twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, along with their sister Mallory, find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of faeries and other creatures. The Spiderwick Chronicles is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 35m runtime, released in 2008 with an average rating of 6.7 by 2,916 people. The movie made an estimated total of $164,200,000 in the box office.

Eragon

As darkness falls, the last dragon will choose its rider.
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Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Family
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 44m
Release date: 14th December 2006
Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ (5.1/10)

Eragon immerses viewers in a young protagonist’s awakening to magical abilities as he enters a world defined by ancient rivalries and fateful battles, reflecting the journey through magical history and conflicts found in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realized he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king. Eragon is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 44m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 5.1 by 3,495 people. The movie made an estimated total of $250,425,512 in the box office.

The Brothers Grimm

No curse they can't reverse. No demon they can't exterminate. No spell they can't break.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Action, Comedy, Thriller
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 58m
Release date: 26th August 2005
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (5.9/10)

The Brothers Grimm places its characters in a landscape haunted by fantastical threats and mysterious magic, where longstanding legends affect the fate of entire communities, evoking the interplay of myth and reality present in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Folklore collectors and con artists, Jake and Will Grimm, travel from village to village pretending to protect townsfolk from enchanted creatures and performing exorcisms. However, they are put to the test when they encounter a real magical curse in a haunted forest with real magical beings, requiring genuine courage. The Brothers Grimm is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 2005 with an average rating of 5.9 by 3,005 people. The movie made an estimated total of $105,300,000 in the box office.

The Covenant

Only the power of Hell can help them.
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Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Adventure, Action
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 37m
Release date: 7th September 2006
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (5.6/10)

The Covenant follows young men grappling with inherited magical powers and internal loyalty tests within their secretive society, closely reflecting the central themes of legacy, divided loyalties, and magical conflict from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Four young men who belong to a supernatural legacy are forced to battle a fifth power long thought to have died out. Another great force they must contend with is the jealousy and suspicion that threatens to tear them apart. The Covenant is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 37m runtime, released in 2006 with an average rating of 5.6 by 1,121 people. The movie made an estimated total of $37,597,471 in the box office.

The House with a Clock in Its Walls

This house knows what makes you tick.
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Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Country: Canada
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 45m
Release date: 15th September 2018
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.3/10)

The House with a Clock in Its Walls tells a story of hidden magic within a seemingly ordinary world, focusing on the mentorship and training of a young wizard, much like the guidance and dangers that Newt faces in the wizarding world of The Crimes of Grindelwald.

When ten-year-old Lewis is suddenly orphaned, he is sent to live with his Uncle Jonathan in a creaky (and creepy) old mansion with a mysterious ticking noise that emanates from the walls. Upon discovering that his uncle is a warlock, Lewis begins learning magic, but when he rebelliously resurrects an evil warlock he must find the secret of the house and save the world from destruction. The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a movie from Canada in English, with a total 1h 45m runtime, released in 2018 with an average rating of 6.3 by 2,330 people. The movie made an estimated total of $131,523,093 in the box office.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The man who tried to cheat the devil.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 2h 3m
Release date: 1st October 2009
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.4/10)

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is set in a world where reality intertwines with fantastical visions and moral dilemmas, sharing an imaginative narrative structure and themes of choice and consequence with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

After a carnival troupe saves his life, a man agrees to help its immortal leader collect five souls and win a bet with the devil. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 2h 3m runtime, released in 2009 with an average rating of 6.4 by 2,922 people. The movie made an estimated total of $64,352,607 in the box office.

To Kill a Dragon

Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Country: Soviet Union
Language: Russian
Runtime: 2h 3m
Release date: 11th November 1988
Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (7.1/10)

To Kill a Dragon involves a community facing the return of a mythic antagonist, confronting questions of leadership, courage, and collective destiny—paralleling the epic magical confrontation and ideological rifts at the center of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Dragon is a bloody dictator, who kills every opponent. People live hopelessly, until Lancelot comes to save the beautiful Elsa. Lancelot can only win, if all people become free from fear, that is feeding the Dragon's power. Dragon's multiple personalities, ranging from a "dragon" to a "samurai" to a "Nazi", scare the hell out of all people, except Lancelot. Finally Dragon drops all his masks, to become the most dangerous of his incarnations - "himself". And the battle begins To Kill a Dragon is a movie from Soviet Union in Russian, with a total 2h 3m runtime, released in 1988 with an average rating of 7.1 by 61 people.

Legend

There may never be another dawn.
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Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 34m
Release date: 28th August 1985
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.3/10)

Legend presents a fairy tale world imperiled by a rising dark force, as love and heroism are tested in the face of evil, which resonates with the battle against Grindelwald and the exploration of tested loyalties within a magical society.

Set in a timeless mythical forest inhabited by fairies, goblins, unicorns and mortals, this fantastic story follows a mystical forest dweller, chosen by fate, to undertake a heroic quest. He must save the beautiful Princess Lili and defeat the demonic Lord of Darkness, or the world will be plunged into a never-ending ice age. Legend is a movie from United Kingdom in English, with a total 1h 34m runtime, released in 1985 with an average rating of 6.3 by 1,408 people. The movie made an estimated total of $15,502,112 in the box office.

Winter's Tale

This is not a true story. It's a love story.
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Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Runtime: 1h 58m
Release date: 13th February 2014
Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ (6.3/10)

Winter's Tale weaves an otherworldly romance into a narrative involving the clash between mystical forces and ordinary life, reflecting the combination of magical conflict and personal stakes found in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her. Winter's Tale is a movie from United States of America in English, with a total 1h 58m runtime, released in 2014 with an average rating of 6.3 by 1,424 people. The movie made an estimated total of $30,800,231 in the box office.

Fans of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will find plenty to enjoy in movies that blend magical worlds with complex character relationships and high-stakes conflicts, offering immersive adventures and richly imagined settings.

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