Under most circumstances, anything bearing the branding of the Wizarding World would be guaranteed to find major success on all fronts, but the jury remains out on Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Completely ignoring the fact that creator and screenwriter J.K. Rowling continues to see her stock plummet in the eyes of both fans and the general public, the prequel series has a lot of work to do in order to win over disgruntled and disappointed audiences left feeling cold by the previous installment.
Not only was The Crimes of Grindelwald the worst-reviewed and lowest-grossing installment in the entire expanded universe, but those calls for a boycott still haven’t faded completely into the ether, with Johnny Depp supporters remaining furious that he was kicked to the curb as the big bad in favor of Mads Mikkelsen.
The various trailers and TV spots we’ve seen so far have done their best to present an action-packed, exciting, and essential entry into Fantastic Beasts canon, with the latest featurette diving deep into the formation of Dumbledore’s first army, a wise move to play into those Harry Potter connections in an effort to mainline some genuine goodwill.
We’re only a few weeks away from The Secrets of Dumbledore coming to theaters after a lengthy pandemic-induced hiatus, and it could be a make-or-break moment for the entire saga. Announcing five mega budget blockbusters right out of the gate was a bold move that generated plenty of skepticism, so the pressure is on for the Fantastic Beasts spinoffs to justify not just another two movies, but their entire existence.
