Since the announcement of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise was announced, Harry Potter fans were gifted with even more beloved characters and magical creatures on the silver screen. Indeed, the spinoff from the Harry Potter stories promised to be just as spectacular, this time following the character of Newt Scamander, played by Academy Award-winner Eddie Redmayne. With Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them making $580 million and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald grossing $495 million, Deadline reported early on that Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore would earn a predicted $50 million during its preview release, trending downwards compared to the previous films’ early-release earnings.
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The grim outlook on its box office revenue effectively placed The Secrets of Dumbledore in a peculiar position, as the entire Fantastic Beasts franchise was already on thin ice. Ultimately, the film fell short of expectations during its opening weekend, immediately prompting the question whether The Secrets of Dumbledore should, in fact, be the final film of the franchise. On the one hand, when the franchise was first announced, it was revealed that Harry Potter’s author had mapped out a five-film story. On the other, per Screen Rant, The Secrets of Dumbledore neatly wraps up the story that began with the first film, giving fans some closure while also leaving the door open enough if Warner Bros. were to continue with the five-film plan.
The Magic of 3: The Beauty of the Trilogy
Warner Bros. Pictures
With the Fantastic Beasts storyline being based on a guidebook rather than a series of books turned into movies, the now-trilogy has become its own world along with the Harry Potter film franchise. Additionally, it seems as if many studios are following the Marvel approach to films: make a trilogy leading up to a major battle with an intergalactic villain. According to Tylt, during 2014-2015, 39% of films released were 100% original. Yet this may remain true in 2022 as more and more studios are announcing their intentions of making franchises out of reboots or spin-offs. Forbes even dubbed 2022 the year of franchises due to the revenue being higher than original ideas.
Considering these numbers, it’s rather obvious to point out that should Fantastic Beasts become more than a trilogy, it would do well enough. Several franchises have been able to prosper yet at a high cost: main character loss. One of the most beloved characters since Hagrid, Newt Scamander is a life-long animal lover who travels the world cataloging and helping animals who are hurt or lost. True to his Hogwarts House of Hufflepuff, he is brave when he needs to be, but he’d much rather be on his own. If the series continues, they run the risk of ruining Newt Scamander and other beloved characters.
Dumbledore: The Headmaster of Sacrificial Lambs
In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore is a highly respected wizard both at the school and within the wizarding world. He becomes a guide as Harry continues to face Voldermort. Yet as Harry nears his graduation from Hogwarts, Dumbledore begins to require more of Harry, even putting him in danger on several occasions. In a heart-wrenching scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, it’s revealed that Harry was raised as a lamb for slaughter. That the only way for Voldermort to be defeated was for Harry to willingly die.
As fans grappled with the idea that Dumbledore wasn’t a pinnacle of good, though not as bad as Lord Voldermort or Dolores Umbridge, by the beginning of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, it becomes apparent that Harry Potter isn’t the first innocent person to be recruited by Dumbledore. Whatever his intentions of recruiting Newt Scamander to spy on his behalf, Dumbledore is essentially exploiting someone who is innocent to get their hands dirty. Despite mixed reviews of the third installment, if the series were to continue, it would be prudent if the story were to focus more on magical creatures being cataloged instead of Newt Scamander being another sacrificial lamb for Albus Dumbledore.
Newt Scamander: Devoted Animal Lover, Unlikely Spy
Warner Bros.
While the excitement for Newt Scamander’s story continues, it’s as if the main character is already lost. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, the book the film is based on, is the quintessential wizarding book for every household, according to the description on Barnes and Noble’s website. In it are drawings and descriptions of each magical creature discovered by Newt Scamander. Yet in the film, audiences meet Scamander tracking down a singular creature and almost being caught playing spy on several occasions. Even the opening scene of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opens with Newt on trial for traveling to America and acting as a spy for Albus Dumbledore. Newt is not a spy, in fact, he’s the last person to be expected to be a spy.
One reason Fantastic Beasts falls short of expectations for Newt Scamander’s story is that the films repeat the same tropes from the Harry Potter films instead of standing on their own within the franchise. Additionally, Newt is made to be like Hagrid, a wizard who adores and defends all magical creatures from other wizards who seriously misunderstand them. Except that Newt is written to be more similar to Harry Potter in that he trusts and defends Dumbledore against allegations that he is a puppet, expected to do more than he is capable of, fighting in a war that isn’t his. As much as the idealist trope can be respectable, for the franchise to continue, it should continue Newt’s story rather than Dumbeldore’s.
