While Fantastic Beaststhe spin-off saga ofHarry Pottersees its third installment released in theaters today, the next opus will not be made at all costs.
Fantastic Beasts 3: a most tumultuous preparation
The saga Fantastic Beasts had a very strong start at the box office. With revenue of $814 million, this first opus released in 2016 was then placed at 59th place in the world historical box office. The Warner studios, on the strength of this success, announced that they were planning 4 other films in this universe. However, the second part of this saga, The Crimes of Grindelwalddid not meet the same fortune in theaters, with “only” 655 million dollars in revenue. Warner studios therefore hope to rectify the situation with the release of the third part, Dumbledore’s Secrets.
If the third opus represents the hope of restoring the image of the saga – and its profitability – her delivery was not without pain. First of all, JK Rowling, author of the saga Harry Potter and screenwriter of its spin-off Fantastic Beastsannounced in 2019 having to rework the script of Dumbledore’s Secrets, thus postponing filming ; the President of Warner had justified this delay by a desire to satisfy both fans and the general public. Another pitfall on the set, the replacement at short notice of Johnny Depp, who played the villainous Gellert Grindelwald, after he was convicted of domestic abuse. In addition, the behavior and remarks of other members of the project also tainted the preparation of the film. Arrest of actor Ezra Miller (along with a temporary restraining order) for disturbing public order as well as JK Rowling’s transphobic remarks themselves added to the uproar. Consequently, the character of Croyance Bellebosse, embodied by Ezra Miller, will only play a secondary or third role in Dumbledore’s Secrets, permanently distancing it from future Warner projects.
The Box Office rather than the artistic
In this tense context, the Warner studios therefore expect results. The pressure is such that according to a ratio of varietyWarner would still not have given its agreement to prepare the fourth opus of the saga, without even mentioning a hypothetical fifth film as planned in 2016. Thus, the exit of Fantastic Beasts 4 would be conditional on the financial results of the 3long before the reviews of the film.
Regarding these reviews, the review site Rotten Tomatoes has already announced a score of 36% for the film which is being released in theaters today. We hope that the “heavy work” on the screenplay will pay off.
