JK Rowling earned £8.25m from Harry Potter play final 12 months
- Accounts for firm managing international run of play present rising income
JK Rowling made greater than £8million from stage present Harry Potter and the Cursed Child final 12 months, new figures present.
The play, written by Jack Thorne primarily based on a narrative concocted by the writer, has been a spellbinding success because it launched on the Palace Theatre in London‘s West End in 2016, and has since been staged internationally.
Accounts revealed by HPTP Holdings Ltd, an organization created by the writer and her literary agent Neil Blair to handle her theatrical manufacturing enterprise, present Rowling continues to get pleasure from success because of the boy wizard money-spinner.
The accounts, revealed on Companies House, present she was paid a dividend of £8.25million for the 12 months to March 2023 after the corporate reported a internet revenue of £5million, up from £1.3million for the 12 months to March 2022.
Statements included with the monetary information apportion the success to a post-Covid growth, with viewers figures returning to pre-lockdown ranges.
JK Rowling was paid a dividend of £8.25million by the corporate managing her international empire of theatrical productions of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The present has been carried out at London’s Palace Theatre since 2016 and is now being staged internationally
The present can be carried out at New York’s Lyric Theatre on Broadway (pictured above)
A run at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre got here to an finish in summer season final 12 months, as did a year-long run in Toronto, Canada
The 2022-23 12 months noticed The Cursed Child – which is about 19 years after the top of the final Harry Potter e-book, The Deathly Hallows – open in Tokyo, and a run in San Francisco additionally got here to an finish.
Elsewhere, the play continues to be carried out in Hamburg and on New York’s Broadway. Productions in Melbourne and Toronto closed in July 2023, the Canadian run ending after simply over a 12 months.
Around £5.2million of the agency’s £14m revenue got here from exhibits in Europe, with £4.6m and £4.1m coming from the USA and the remainder of the world, respectively. It paid roughly £949,900 in company tax to HMRC.
However, the statements additionally reveal plans to broaden The Cursed Child throughout the US and UK with licensing of a faculties’ version, whereas a North America tour can be deliberate for the top of 2024 onwards.
Ms Rowling is known as as a ‘individual with important management’ on firm information whereas Mr Blair is HPTP Holdings’ sole director. He additionally holds positions with Wizarding World Digital, previously Pottermore, and chairs Ms Rowling’s youngsters’s charity, Lumos.
‘All theatrical exhibits and licenses are anticipated to proceed performing strongly and stay worthwhile,’ a press release included with the monetary outcomes reads.
‘The director (Mr Blair) stays targeted planning for future launches and exploring alternatives for future licensed territories.’
Figures launched by different firms related to the holding agency reveal that just about half 1,000,000 tickets had been bought for the London run of the present within the 2022-23 interval – 496,214 in all, up from 195,683 the earlier 12 months.
The Cursed Child follows Harry’s son Albus as he begins his personal journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry whereas contending along with his father’s fame.
It has notched up a variety of awards, together with Oliviers and Tonys, and has been well-received by critics.
Less well-received, nonetheless, has been Rowling’s effort to chop again her large leylandii hedge outdoors her house in Edinburgh.
The effort to trim the enormous hedge has angered mother and father on college runs, who questioned why the roadworks, short-term site visitors lights and lengthy queues previous her house in Scotland couldn’t have waited for a mid-term break.
Rowling’s Harry Potter collection has bought over 500 million books worldwide, turning her into considered one of a choose few billionaire authors.
She has confronted a backlash from transgender activists in recent times as a result of what she says are issues over single-sex areas; some stars of the Harry Potter movies and their follow-ups have subsequently distanced themselves from her feedback.
