Once upon a time, children and adults worldwide considered Hogwarts a second home. But now, due to a long string of unfortunate events, scandals and other mishaps, the Wizarding World has become a dark place. The Fantastic Beasts series, which was supposed to be that series to keep adults invested in magic, is now on thin ice, according to a report from Variety.
It all started with the 2016 film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, inspired by a guidebook that educated readers on all the fantastic creatures in the Wizarding World. The film followed the fictional author of the book, Newt Scamander, as he came to America in the 1920s to capture and rehome various creatures hidden in his magical suitcase. The film was a major success at the box office, bringing in over $800 million, and was praised for its expansion of the Potter lore.
The film’s success allowed for a sequel in the form of 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. This film brought back fan-favorite Newt Scamander as he teamed up with a young Albus Dumbledore to take down the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Crimes of Grindelwald would bring in $600 million at the box office, making it the lowest-grossing Wizarding World film yet.
The show must go on, though, as the Fantastic Beasts series deal with author J.K. Rowling was to result in a five-film series. The third installment, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, is slated to release in the United States on April 15th, but there’s extra pressure on this particular film. According to various sources, Variety has reported that there is currently no screenplay for a fourth film. Not only that, Warner Bros. Executives apparently want to see how well Secrets of Dumbledore will perform in theaters before greenlighting the final two movies.
How did we get here? Where a franchise that was once so acclaimed is now apparently steering towards a crumbling end? Sadly, the answers stem from multiple directions.
The Loss of Magic
The string of bad luck seems to have started with a glaring target, J.K. Rowling herself. The author, who was once so beloved, has now become a political figurehead in the past few years due to her continued comments. These comments drove a wedge between fans, with many LGBTQ members and allies swearing off the Wizarding World altogether. Following this, during the production of Crimes of Grindelwald, Johnny Depp (who plays Grindelwald) was under fire for losing a libel case against The Sun, which published an article referring to him as a “wife-beater”. Depp would later step down from the role for Secrets of Dumbledore, where Grindelwald is now played by Mads Mikkelsen. The issues with figureheads of the franchise don’t end there. Ezra Miller, who plays Credence Barebone in all three movies, was arrested for disorderly conduct and harassment a mere day before the world premiere of Secrets of Dumbledore.
This is putting Warner Bros. between a rock and a hard place. With a major franchise and theme parks in Orlando, Hollywood and Japan, they can’t exactly just drop the franchise and start over. To keep audiences coming back, new content needs to be made. Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University film school, points out the importance of film income for the studio.
“Feature film revenue is the tip of the iceberg here. It’s pretty crucial to their business moving forward.”
On top of the scandals, it seems as if audiences just aren’t connecting with Newt and his friends as they did with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Many experts claim that returning to where it all began could remind audiences of the magic and bring folks back to the theater. One option is Chris Columbus, who directed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, expressing interest in adapting the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play to theaters. Cursed Child picks up directly after Deathly Hallows and would bring back all the characters we love. There’s also the option of direct-to-streaming content, such as a Harry Potter TV series for HBO Max.
Whatever direction they choose, Warner Bros. has a long road ahead. While the Wizarding World has grown to something not so friendly for audiences, it stands as a major tent pole franchise for the company. Whether that magic will continue or fizzle out will depend on the performance of Newt and his friends. For now, all we can do is sit and watch.