J.K. Rowling's production company reports 73% drop in profits

J.K. Rowling's production company has suffered plummeting profits.

Brontë Film and TV was set up a decade ago by the writer and literary agent Neil Blair to oversee adaptations of her work.

Over the years, these have included the likes of BBC drama Strike, and the 2015 miniseries of Rowling's 2012 novel The Casual Vacancy.

As well as TV work, Harry Potter Theatrical Productions, which produces the stage play Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, is also a subsidiary of Brontë Film.

But in accounts for the company published yesterday (31 March), it was reported that it had suffered a 73 percent drop in pre-tax profits.

Stills Press/Alamy

Published to Companies House, the report states that in the year to March 31 2022, Brontë Film and TV made pre-tax profits of £1,847,208.

However, in the previous set of accounts, which detailed the company's earnings for the year to 31 October, 2020, it shows pre-tax profits of £6,872,035.

Post-tax profits for the same period also show a considerable drop of 66 percent.

According to the accounts, the apparent sudden loss in profits is largely down to the Covid-19 pandemic.

2020 had seen a number of stage productions of The Cursed Child open in San Francisco and Hamburg, as well as ongoing productions in London, New York and Melbourne.

Deals were also signed at the time for the show to run in Tokyo and Toronto.

However, due to the lockdowns imposed in these countries, production of the play was halted, with performances starting up again in Melbourne and London in February and October 2021, respectively.

BBC

Since news of the loss was first reported, many have taken to social media to vent their anger at Rowling.

For the past couple of years, the 57-year-old has been embroiled in a fierce debate over transgender rights, with Rowling having spoken out against trans women being given access to female spaces.

In 2020, she released a 3,600-word statement, which documented her experience of sexual assault and concerns over transgender people being allowed in women's toilets.

It led to a huge backlash, with actors from the Harry Potter series, such as Daniel Radcliffe, speaking out against her comments.

And now, some have taken aim at her company's losses, claiming it's proof that people don't agree with her views.

"Go anti-woke, go broke," said one.

LADbible has contacted Brontë Film and TV for comment.