Broadcast on TF1 Sunday April 28, the third film in the Fantastic Beasts saga was a failure at the time of its release, after a series of scandals behind the scenes
The saga of Fantastic Beasts hoped to ride on the success of the Harry Potter franchise to expand the magical universe of J.K. Rowling and become a new cinema success. By featuring the adventures of magizoologist Norbert Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), the first film met its audience when it was released in 2016. But the behind-the-scenes setbacks and the succession of scandals ultimately got the better of the franchise. After the failure to release the third part, Dumbledore's Secrets, in 2022, no other film in the saga is planned for the moment.
It must be said that controversies have multiplied around this Harry Potter spin-off. First, the author of the franchise fell out of favor in the hearts of many fans because of her regular transphobic outings in the media. It continues to generate controversy on the subject, so much so that some fans have decided to distance themselves from the various productions linked to the saga so as not to provide it with financial support.
But J.K. Rowling is not the only personality attached to Fantastic Beasts to cause controversy. After losing his libel case against the Sun in London, a tabloid which accused him of being an "abusive husband", Johnny Depp (Grindelwald, the main protagonist) was removed from the franchise and replaced in the last film by the Danish Mads Mikkelsen.
But he is not the only actor in the saga who has had dealings with the law: shortly before the release of the third episode, Ezra Miller was implicated in several cases, notably for assault, burglary, corruption of a minor or driving while intoxicated. It also tarnished the franchise's already tarnished reputation.
These scandals put another nail in the coffin of a franchise that was already receiving a mixed reception from the public. The ax fell with the release of the third episode in 2022, which raked in $405 million worldwide, the lowest score for the magical franchise at the box office. If a five-film plan was under consideration, we don't know if a fourth film will ultimately see the light of day or if the saga will be buried. Officially, director David Yates indicated that the saga was "on pause" with Total Film Magazine.
Harry Potter fans can console themselves by soon discovering the adaptation of the books into series on the Max streaming platform. In the meantime, it is possible to (re)see the subdued conclusion of Fantastic Beasts this Sunday, April 28, at 9:10 p.m. on TF1.
