Surprise Element: Harry Potter Franchise Director Taken Aback by Fantastic Beasts' 5-Movie Plan

Summary

During a press screening for the first movie, director David Yates expressed his surprise at discovering that there were plans for five films in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

The franchise's box office earnings have consistently decreased with each subsequent film, raising concerns about its future and the possibility of another Fantastic Beasts movie. The franchise's decline can be attributed to the significant shift in direction and tone between the initial and second films, resulting in a loss of audience connection and undermining the overall consistency of the series.

Director David Yates was unaware of the long-term plan for the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The spinoff and prequel to the Harry Potter series takes place many years before and focuses on Albus Dumbledore and Newt Scamander. However, the movies have faced significant criticism due to the drastic changes in tone and stakes with each installment. Despite the release of three movies, recent box office failures have greatly hindered the chances of the franchise continuing.

While a Harry Potter TV show has been approved, the future of Fantastic Beasts remains uncertain. This uncertainty stems from Yates' unexpected discovery during an interview with Inside Total Film. He revealed that he never anticipated it becoming a franchise. During a press screening, author J.K. Rowling surprised Yates and the audience by announcing that there would be four more movies. Here is Yates' quote, as reported by Winter is Coming:

“The idea that there were going to be five films was a total surprise to most of us. [Rowling] just mentioned it spontaneously, at a press screening once. We were presenting some clips of FB1. We’d all signed up for FB1, very enthusiastically. And Jo, bless her, came on … and said, ‘Oh, by the way, there’s five of them.’ We all looked at each other — because no one had informed us about there being five. We had all committed to this one. So that was the first time we heard about it."

The Failure Of Fantastic Beasts

Despite the initial plan for five Fantastic Beasts movies, the actual outcome has been rather disappointing. Each successive installment of the franchise has witnessed a decline in box office performance, suggesting that its future could already be in jeopardy. If the franchise fails to generate sufficient ticket sales, there would be no incentive for Warner Bros. Discovery to further pursue its development. Regrettably, this has already become a reality.

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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them made an impressive $800 million with a budget of $175 million. In comparison, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald generated slightly less at under $650 million, while having a larger budget of $200 million. The disappointment continued with Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which only managed to bring in $400 million with the same budget as Grindelwald. Considering this significant decline, it is unlikely that another Fantastic Beasts movie will be made.

The failure of Fantastic Beasts can be attributed to various problems. A major issue was the stark shift in direction and tone between the franchise's first and second films. The initial movie revolved around a charming individual gathering mystical creatures, while the latter delved into a darker narrative of thwarting a monstrous genocide. This jarring change ultimately led to the loss of audience trust and premature demise, hindering the realization of Rowling's intended five-movie plan.