Already missing Count Dracula, Mavis, Johnny and the rest of the Hotel Transylvania fam after their recent fun-filled summer vacation? You can put away your torches, because Hotel Transylvania 4 is in the works and set to hit theaters on December 22, 2021.
After the continued success of the family-friendly take on monster mythology, most recently with Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation making over $528 million in worldwide earnings, it’s no surprise the franchise isn’t becoming Mr. Invisible and moving forward with a fourth installment.
The movies starring the likes of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James and Steve Buscemi is Sony Animation’s most profitable property, with $1.3 billion gross overall, per Deadline. Out of the top five Sony Animation earners domestically, the Hotel Transylvania rank in the No. 2 through No. 4 rank.
Sony’s No. 1 grossing film is currently Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which recently dethroned the monster-filled franchise for the top spot domestically. Into the Spider-Verse also awarded the studio its first Best Animated Feature Oscar, breaking Disney’s seven-year streak over the weekend.
The hilarious animated movies series centered on Count Dracula and his family and infamous friends has consistently released a sequel every three years. The first came to theaters the first week of October 2012, Hotel Transylvania 2 debuted the same weekend in 2015 and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation braved the blockbuster season on July 13, 2018. Summer Vacation took the No. 1 spot in its first week, dethroning Ant-Man and the Wasp in its second week and bringing down Skyscraper’s success.
Hotel Transylvania will next aim at another packed season for movies: the holidays. While details of the cast and plot have not yet been revealed, I’d guess the franchise will be aiming to be themed around the holiday season in some way after taking on Halloween and Summer Vacation – but who knows what they have in store!
The fourth Hotel Transylvania movie does have some fierce competition during its set 2021 opening weekend. James Cameron’s still-untitled Avatar 3 will come out on December 17 – one year after Avatar 2, both of which are currently being shot at the same time. On December 22, a Disney live-action film (maybe Cruella or The Little Mermaid?) is also set for that date, along with Universal’s long-awaited Wicked adaptation and an animated flick from Warner Bros. 2021 is going to be a packed holiday season for movies!
This is exciting news for fans of the Hotel Transylvania fans! The franchise has been consistently a good time, with Adam Sandler’s Count Dracula and the whole family seeing his daugher Mavie and her human husband Johnny falling in love, getting married, having a family of their own and sharing an adventure-filled vacation together.
