The Harry Potter franchise managed to charm a whole generation, but as times change, it becomes obvious that it won't be alive for much longer. Even though Warner Bros. executives said they would like to keep making Harry Potter projects, the Wizarding World doesn't seem to be adapting to modern times.
As everyone knows, the Fantastic Beasts trilogy didn't do as half as well as the original saga. This is just a symptom of the fact that this universe already gave everything it had to give. It may be time to let Harry Potter go or at least let it rest for a while, as it seems to have ended for good.
10 Superheroes Series And Movies Are Getting A Lot Of Attention
Since the release of the MCU, superhero movies have become one of the most successful blockbusters. In the 2000s, young adult fantasy sagas like Narnia, Twilight, and Harry Potter were in fashion, but recently, Marvel and DC are dominating the film industry.
These big blockbusters are leaving little space for other franchises, and even though shows like House of the Dragon are popular, it's evident that the young adult genre isn't doing as well anymore. Harry Potter may get a comeback in the following decades, but as of now, it isn't giving the audiences what they're looking for.
9 After More Than 20 Years, Harry Potter Fatigue Is Setting In
Since the first book's publication in 1997, the Harry Potter franchise has been a major success, and it has provided fans with new content almost every year. Throughout the 2000s, fans got the publication of new books as well as the eight original movies. Later on, in the 2010s, Harry Potter added some theme parks, the web platform Pottermore, The Cursed Child play, The Fantastic Beasts trilogy, and even an HBO Special.
At this point, the franchise is overexposed. It's possible that Harry Potter could be rebooted in a couple of years to appeal to newer generations or even to attract adult fans again, like Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings did. However, at this point, fans are getting less and less interested in Harry Potter.
8 Some Iconic Actors Are Impossible To Replace
The Harry Potter movies brought to life some of literature's most iconic characters. Fans fell in love with these portrayals of the Wizarding World's characters, and the actors who brought them to life.
Obviously, the Harry Potter franchise's cast is aging and some of its most beloved figures have passed on. It's very hard to create new projects without them. Fans didn't connect with Jude Law's portrayal of Dumbledore in the prequel series and attempts to replace Radcliffe's Potter or Rickman's Snape could yield the same results.
7 J.K. Rowling Hasn't Expanded Harry Potter's Literature
Even though most of the recent Harry Potter projects have come from the franchise's cinematic universe, it's hard to create more content if there aren't more stories to tell. As of November 2022, it doesn't seem like Rowling is planning to add any more to this universe.
Warner Bros.'s CEO David Zaslav commented he would like to create more Harry Potter content (via Variety). However, after Fantastic Beasts' relative failure, it's clear that fans don't relate to stories not stemming from the original books. Perhaps Rowling is open to creating new Harry Potter stories but even that doesn't guarantee another blockbuster.
6 The Fantastic Beasts Series Didn't Do Well
While Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them grossed 812.5 million USD, the next installment only reached 654.9 million USD, and the last one earned 405.2 million USD. Fans' interest clearly diminished throughout the series.
However, the Harry Potter movies kept performing better with each installment, up to the point that The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 grossed 1.342 billion USD, making it one of its era's biggest box office successes. The Wizarding World could become a thriving ecosystem for new stories but the current corporate story of writing isn't inspiring love from Potter's fans.
5 People Are Getting Tired Of Big Franchises
In a time when cinema is mostly dominated by franchises, it seems like there's a new blockbuster to watch every day. Fans used to be able to watch a movie and never hear about it again, but audiences now have to commit to bigger universes.
While this type of content was interesting at the beginning, viewers are getting tired of it. Films and TV shows are becoming formulaic and predictable, and audiences are craving more original and unique content. It's unlikely that these types of sagas can survive for much longer.
4 Harry Potter Ages More Poorly As Time Passes
While the Harry Potter series inspired a whole generation to face their demons and reject bigotry, as time passes, fans realize that the books didn't really portray good role models. The series lacks LGBTQ+ representation, racial diversity, and proper female characters, so Harry Potter has definitely aged poorly.
In a time and age where there is better and more representation, it seems unlikely that a Harry Potter project would be appealing. The franchise would have to radically change its core values for it to become interesting for the audiences of this time.
3 J.K. Rowling Keeps Making Transphobic Comments On The Internet
It's impossible to separate the artist from the product. Even though Harry Potter became one of the most successful franchises of the last decades, its reputation has been tarnished by J.K. Rowling's political ideology. In the last couple of years, Rowling has used her social media platform to voice her controversial opinions on transgender rights, understandably upsetting a lot of her fans.
The Harry Potter universe helped a generation to develop empathy and compassion. However, Rowling's views have led the Harry Potter franchise to lose a lot of followers, and with each day that passes, this brand becomes less and less likable. Every time someone thinks about Harry Potter, they think about Rowling's transphobic comments.
2 Other Fantasy Projects Are Getting Way More Attention
While people are loving certain fantasy projects, it doesn't seem like Harry Potter is up there. Fantasy series like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, The Lord of the Rings, The Sandman, and The Witcher are receiving a lot of attention. These series may be overshadowing other projects, like Harry Potter.
With so many interesting fantasy projects going on, it's hard for fans to have time to focus on more than a couple of series at a time. Harry Potter would probably have to target more adult audiences for it to get the attention of the viewers, which is unlikely.
1 The Series Completely Relies On Nostalgia
As much as Harry Potter was probably the biggest phenomenon of the 2000s, its time has passed. More recent Harry Potter projects have mostly relied on nostalgia, and they haven't created any new stories or content that could get the interest of the fans.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child focuses on Harry's children, while the Fantastic Beasts trilogy follows the lives of younger characters from the original saga. It seems like the creators of this universe are running out of ideas, and it doesn't look like anything more interesting is coming fans' way.