Will there be another Fantastic Beasts movie?
Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secret is the third Fantastic Beasts movie, but will there be another Fantastic Beasts movie? The first film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, was generally well-received by critics and audiences, grossing over $800 million at the worldwide box office. This naturally required the sequel to go into production immediately. The second film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, was less successful. The sequel grossed about $150 million less at the box office and is currently the lowest-rated film in the Wizarding World franchise on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. However, Warner Bros. released the third film. Yates returns to direct, meaning Fantastic Beasts 3 will make/break the franchise. A third film was released in April 2022, casting doubt on the franchise’s chances of continuing the planned five films.
So, will there be another Fantastic Beasts movie? Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that Fantastic Beasts will see another movie released to follow Dumbledore’s secrets. Despite the poor response to the second and third films, Warner Bros. respected the original plan of the trilogy. However, there are several reasons why Fantastic Beasts 3 will end the series and likely be the last adventure in the wizarding world for a long time.
Why Fantastic Beasts 3 is probably the last
“Will there be another Fantastic Beasts movie?” is cunning. The series’ first big problem is the steady decline in box office receipts. Warner Bros. Critical and commercial reception of Fantastic Beasts 3 insisted that only the final two installments be greenlit if deemed successful. This Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore movie has a worldwide gross of around $396 million. That’s significantly lower than The Murders of Grindelwald and holds the lowest opening weekend total of any Wizarding World film and the lowest worldwide total by a significant margin. Also, with a $200 million budget, the movie probably didn’t break even when marketing costs were factored in.
Moreover, Fantastic Beasts 2 and Fantastic Beasts 3 received similar reviews. Although many considered it to be a bit of an improvement over its predecessor, criticism of its convoluted plot, unnecessary filler material, and seemingly low cost made the film the second most criticized film, behind only The Crimes of Grindelwald. Also, the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard lawsuit certainly didn’t help the film. Although many critics agreed that Mads Mikkelsen’s performance was better than Depp’s, the controversy surrounding Depp’s condition and claim was only a hindrance to the production.
With Warner Bros. With the second and third installments greenlit in 2016, even before the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , it’s worrying that the latter two films haven’t even started production. It is likely that Warner Bros. saw a lackluster response to the film in the critical and commercial worlds and put the franchise on hold. It remains to be seen if the film will see a revival in sales when it is released at home. However, given the response to the film and the lack of response from Warner Bros., it’s safe to assume that Fantastic Beasts 3 could be the last film in the Wizarding World franchise.
The entire Harry Potter franchise is currently controversial
Over the past few years, the entire Harry Potter franchise has faced many controversies. JK Rowling has taken some legitimate heat for her views on transgender rights, particularly after she took to Twitter to reiterate her controversial hateful views. Ezra Miller, who plays Credence Barebone/Aurelius Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts, is under investigation for the attack. Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard has finally settled, but not before being reinstated by Mads Mikkelsen. Finally, on top of all this, complaints from the developers of the new Hogwarts Legacy game proved that they were straining under bad working conditions. In general, the Harry Potter franchise has created controversy upon controversy. Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s bad reviews only add fuel to the fire and make the continuation of the franchise uncertain. David Yates is already planning to direct something else, which could mean the nail in the coffin. Honestly, the Harry Potter franchise as a whole might have been better off if they made a clean break and didn’t revisit the Wizarding World for a while.
