6. Fantastic Beasts
Despite being a spin-off of the ultra-popular Harry Potter franchise, Fantastic Beasts didn’t really take off in quite the way Warner Bros. had hoped. Instead of capitalizing on the success of Harry Potter, it was all but dismissed by many, and failed to capture the fandom in the manner that was clearly intended.
With an apparent revolving door of actors portraying the franchise’s villain, Grindelwald – Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp, and Mads Mikkelsen, to date – the Fantastic Beasts franchise is seen as Potter‘s far less impressive cousin.
Still, on paper, Fantastic Beasts does everything Harry Potter fans could have possibly wanted. It expands Rowling’s Wizarding World franchise into other countries, acts as a prequel that touches on the younger years of Albus Dumbledore, and demonstrates other elements of the wizarding community. Despite this, it’s never received anywhere near the unconditional love of the somewhat overrated Harry Potter franchise.
It’s a genuine shame, too, as with acclaimed stars such as Eddie Redmayne and Jude Law leading the charge, Fantastic Beasts deserves far more recognition. While it’s hardly a franchise that’s failing at the box office, it’s still afforded very little respect. This is hardly fair, and it makes the Fantastic Beasts franchises one of the most underrated, even by its own fans.