The Harry Potter franchise has been going downhill in recent years, and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore won't be enough to save it. Between mediocre films, problematic actors, and J.K. Rowling's fall from grace, it may be time for the franchise to take a break. While Warner Brothers has tried valiantly to save the failing franchise, it would be in the best interests of the franchise to take a step back for a while instead of continuing to make Fantastic Beast movies.
Hoping to ride on the coattails of Harry Potter's success, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them was first released in 2016. The spin-off starts with the story of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a "magizoologist" who gets swept up in the magical politics of 1920s New York. As a prequel to the Harry Potter series, the films tie in the past of Albus Dumbledore and Newt, who has become a famous author of the guidebook "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them" in the modern-day of Harry Potter. The films also explored the culture of magic in America, adding a new layer of lore into a franchise that's already ripe with information.
In recent years, the titan of a franchise has started to decline. The Fantastic Beasts series never quite performed up to the expectation set by the original eight movies, and the profit trajectory doesn't look good for Fantastic Beasts 3. A large portion of those who grew up with the books have become disenfranchised due to the tweets of J.K. Rowling, and the newer generation isn't falling in love with the series like the one before it. Sales of Harry Potter and Rowling's other printed books have seen a significant drop since 2020 despite a general rise in book sales, signifying the younger generation's lack of interest in the book series.
Compared to the success that the main Harry Potter series celebrated, the first two Fantastic Beasts spin-off movies have already underperformed. While Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them scored a 73% with Rotten Tomatoes, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald scored only 36%. The box office reception of both films was also lukewarm: Crimes of Grindelwald grossed only $159M in the United States and Canada, while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 broke that number in its opening weekend alone. Both films failed to reach the projected box office numbers and turned minimal profits compared to previous films. Harry Potter has a fiercely loyal fandom, and the performance of both Fantastic Beasts films proves that the majority of fans aren't interested in any more Fantastic Beasts sequels.
Fantastic Beasts 3 has seemed doomed from the start. The Crimes of Grindelwald raised questions on how Fantastic Beasts failed to handle Dumbledore's sexuality — yet again — and provoked accusations that Nagini's storyline was rooted in racism. As such, many fans have been skeptical about a third Fantastic Beasts installment. The movie was delayed multiple times due to filming issues caused by the pandemic, and its 2022 release leaves a four-year gap in between The Crimes of Grindelwald and The Secrets of Dumbledore. All that aside, the film was already plagued with more issues than just the pandemic. J.K. Rowling faced major backlash for her transphobic comments in 2020, which left many fans grappling with their feelings towards the franchise. Johnny Depp was removed from his role as Grindelwald, with Mads Mikkelsen being confirmed to replace him. The move arose discourse between fans, with some supporting the move and others demanding that Depp be reinstated in his role. However, Mikkelsen praised Depp for the work he has done in the role and wished him well for the future, promising to draw off of the character Depp has created while making it his own.
Fantastic Beasts has had more than its fair share of problematic people involved in the project. The greatest is J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter and the center of the Wizarding World. Though some controversy previously surrounded Rowling over her handling of Dumbledore's sexuality, it was her stance on the trans community that turned a large portion of Harry Potter fans away. In June 2020, J.K. Rowling shared tweets with anti-trans sentiments. When fans criticized her stance she doubled down, defending her stance in a long post on her website and claiming her transphobic comments were made in support of feminism. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and other Harry Potter stars have all publicly spoken against Rowling, denouncing her trans-exclusive radical feminism and distancing themselves from her beliefs. A large portion of fans — particularly fans in the LGBTQ+ community — made the difficult decision to no longer financially support the franchise they love due to Rowling's actions, refusing to buy new movie tickets, official merchandise, books, tickets to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park, and anything else that Rowling might profit from. With so many fans refusing to financially support Rowling, the box office is looking even grimmer for Fantastic Beasts 3.
J.K. Rowling isn't the only problematic person associated with Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. While Eddie Redmayne spoke out against Rowling's stance on trans issues, he did speak out against the backlash she received, leaving many fans unsure of where he really stood — especially after the controversy that surrounded his role as a trans woman in The Danish Girl. Ezra Miller, who portrays Credence Barebone in Fantastic Beasts, has also had their own controversy. In April 2020, a video surfaced that appeared to show the actor choking a female fan outside a pub in ReykjavÃk, Iceland. Although the confrontation was confirmed by sources at the scene, police were not called to the scene and charges were never pressed against Miller. Johnny Depp comes with his own controversy amidst his divorce from actress Amber Heard. The couple had a tumultuous relationship from the beginning, and when Heard accused Depp of domestic abuse in 2016, Depp agreed to exit from the role of Grindelwald. Since then, the two have been locked in a legal battle, with Depp fighting a libel lawsuit while bringing evidence of Heard's abuse to light. Despite new evidence and a strong wave of support for Depp, the actor hasn't been reinstated in his role.
Currently, Fantastic Beasts will have five films in total. While interest has been dwindling with each new film in the series, Warner Bros is still aiming big with the franchise. No official dates have been attached to the fourth and fifth movies. It's highly possible that their existence relies on the success of Fantastic Beasts 3. Ultimately, it would be best for the franchise for the fourth and fifth movies to not happen quite yet, if they happen at all. Harry Potter is a widely loved and respected franchise — despite the controversy surrounding those who have helped to create it — and it deserves to go out on a better note than a mediocre sequel. Fantastic Beasts 3 will also reveal just how many fans are willing to support Rowling and her endeavors after her controversy. If Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore does poorly, it may be the last time any of Rowling's projects make it to the silver screen for a while — and that would be the best thing for the franchise at this moment.
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September 26, 2021 at 12:22AM
