Fire in Brazil Reportedly Destroys Dozens of Warner Bros. Movie and TV Props
An exhibit celebrating 100 years of Warner Bros. was completely destroyed outside a shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro. Warner Bros. has not commented on whether the items on display were originals or replicas.
A fire in Rio de Janeiro destroyed the Casa Warner exhibition -- an installation featuring props from Warner Bros. film and TV projects -- early this morning, according to multiple reports out of Brazil. The fire reportedly consumed the entire exhibit, which had been set up in the parking lot of the Nova América Shopping Mall since June 14. No injuries were reported, as the fire took place between 2:40 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and was contained to the Casa Warner area. Warner Bros. has not commented yet, and has not confirmed whether the props involved were originals or replicas.
Video of the fire is available on UOL, a Brazilian news site. The cause of the fire is either not known, or has not yet been revealed, at least as of the last reports we can find.
The exhibition, celebrating 100 years of Warner Bros., featured props and wardrobe from movies including The Wizard of Oz, IT, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
)One report suggests that a number of original, screen-used props were destroyed in the blaze, but notes that they were all key props from big-budget movies, meaning that multiples exist. That means that while the props might have historical relevance and be technically irreplaceable, Warner Bros. (as well as private collectors and other museums or exhibitions) likely have more.
There are conflicting reports as to what was included in the exhibit, and whether the props were original or not. Items reported to have been destroyed include an Annabelle doll; wands from the Harry Potter franchise; a Batmobile from the 1966 Adam West TV show; ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz; Sauron's helmet and ring from The Lord of the Rings; and a cape from one of Christopher Reeve's Superman movies.
If those items were originals rather than replicas, it is not clear how many of each of those items exist, and how many are still in Warner Bros.' possession. For instance, there are five known pairs of screen-used ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz that exist. Some are on display in museums, at least one is in a private collection, and one was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005. The pair were recovered in 2018, and their exact whereabouts are unclear now, although one knowledgeable commenter on Reddit suggests they still belong to the insurance company, which paid out the loss in 2005.
No known pair of screen-used ruby slippers belongs to Warner Bros., who did not produce the film (although they own the rights now, having purchased them from MGM in the late 1990s). In 2023, they made a limited-edition run of screen-accurate replica ruby slippers, so it's possible the ones on display in Rio (assuming there really was a pair) may have been one of the 2023 replicas, or could have been an original pair on loan from another owner.
Similarly, Reeve's capes are obviously rare and sought after in absolute terms, but a number of them belong to private collectors, and there were enough of them made that tiny cuts from at least one have been sold mounted on cards and photos for years.
ComicBook will update our readers when we learn any details of the scope of damages, and whether the props were originals or replicas.
