10 Movie Franchises That Probably Just Died

On paper, the Fantastic Beasts franchise seemed like an absolute slam-dunk proposition for Warner Bros. - a natural means to continue the Wizarding World IP.

With an all-star cast, a bevy of enticing new creatures, and a prequel status allowing it to fill the fan-serving gaps ahead of the Harry Potter films, it'd surely be catnip to fans, right?

Well, 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them certainly seemed to suggest so, posting solidly positive reviews and a healthy $814 million global box office.

As such, plans for a five-film series were put into overdrive, with sequel The Crimes of Grindelwald releasing just two years later.

And yet, reviews were wildly mixed, with many criticising the convoluted plot, contradictions of existing franchise lore, and overabundance of setup for future films.

The Crimes of Grindelwald also grossed a mediocre $654.9 million worldwide - a significant drop from its predecessor, yet certainly not enough to stop the gravy train in its tracks.

And following a difficult production which had to deal with the pandemic, Johnny Depp's replacement with Mads Mikkelsen, and increasing pushback against J.K. Rowling for her controversial comments on the trans community, threequel The Secrets of Dumbledore finally hit screens this past April.

Though better-received than its direct predecessor, reviews were still mixed, and it went on to gross just $405.2 million worldwide. This ensured it failed to turn a profit for Warner Bros - the break-even point for a $200 million film typically being around $500 million.

Warner Bros. hasn't yet made a public ruling on the future of the series, but The Secrets of Dumbledore's performance is undeniably an emphatic rejection from general audiences.

With the studio reportedly waiting until the third film's release to decide if the planned fourth and fifth entries would indeed go ahead, it's safe to say that the future is looking dire for the franchise.

It's certainly possible that Warner Bros. releases one more film to wrap things up, perhaps sending it straight to HBO Max instead of cinemas, but it's clear that the mainstream interest in this corner of the Wizarding World has basically dried up.