More Harry Potter Spinoffs Possible Even If Fantastic Beasts Ends

Additional Harry Potter spinoffs are possible even if Fantastic Beasts ends with Secrets of Dumbledore, which suffered series-low box office numbers.

Additional Harry Potter spinoffs are possible even if Fantastic Beasts ends, says a new report. Released in theaters this past weekend on April 15, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is the eleventh overall installment in the Wizarding World franchise which began back in 2001 with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The new release is also a threequel in the prequel series that launched in 2016 with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them starring Eddie Redmayne as magizoologist Newt Scamander. David Yates returns to direct with a screenplay by J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves.

Set several years after The Crimes of Grindelwald, the third Fantastic Beasts movie finds Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) tasking Newt and his allies with a dangerous mission that leads to a clash with dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) and his army. Over three films, the Fantastic Beasts series has noticeably shifted its focus from Newt and other new characters to a true Harry Potter prequel for known entities like Dumbledore. Despite Warner Bros.' attempts, this hasn't brought more success to the series, as the poorly-reviewed Secrets of Dumbledore suffered at the box office, seeing the lowest opening weekend of any Harry Potter film.

But even if the Fantastic Beasts series ends with Secrets of Dumbledore, more Harry Potter spinoffs are still possible, according to a new report from The Wrap. Insiders at Warner Bros. say the poor critical reception and box office numbers for Secrets of Dumbledore hasn't caused the studio to rule out more theatrical films and HBO Max projects for the Wizarding World. In fact, the success of the reunion special Return to Hogwarts and RPG game Hogwarts Legacy prove there is a future for the franchise beyond Fantastic Beasts.

After the success of the 2016 film, Warner Bros. announced plans for five Fantastic Beasts projects. However, a recent report indicated the future of Fantastic Beasts 4 was hinging on the box office performance for Secrets of Dumbledore, which turned out to be a series low. This doesn't bode well for Fantastic Beasts, but a decision regarding the fate of Newt Scamander and friends isn't expected to arrive any time soon. Warner Bros. just underwent a merger with Discovery and is still transitioning to new leadership under CEO David Zaslav, so it's unlikely that such a major decision will be reached immediately.

Even if Secrets of Dumbledore marks the end of Fantastic Beasts, it surely won't be the end of the lucrative Wizarding World. A Cursed Child adaptation remains the most exciting spinoff prospect that would likely drive Potterheads back to theaters in droves. But with Daniel Radcliffe uninterested a Cursed Child movie for the time being, it likely won't be possible for the foreseeable future. Instead, Warner Bros. Discovery will have to look to other spinoffs to recapture the magic of Harry Potter if Fantastic Beasts ends.

Next: Why Fantastic Beasts 3's Box Office Is Harry Potter's Worst Ever

Source: The Wrap