Just four days after its U.S. release, a sequel for “The Addams Family” has already been announced with a pre-Halloween release date of Oct. 22, 2021.
“The Addams Family 2” is the first film to land on that weekend. It’s opening a week after Universal launches its “Halloween Ends,” starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode in her endless battle against Michael Myers.
The animated family comedy, handled through MGM‘s United Artists Releasing, opened with $30 million, well above forecasts in the $21 million to $27 million range. The PG film follows Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley and Uncle Fester as they bring their love of the macabre to 21st century life in New Jersey.
The star-studded voice cast includes Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloe Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Nick Kroll, Bette Midler, Allison Janney, Elsie Fisher and Snoop Dogg. Reviewers have been unimpressed, earning the film a 39% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which apparently did not deter moviegoers. Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan directed from a screenplay by Pamela Pelter and Matt Lieberman.
“The Addams Family” originated in 150 single panel cartoons by Charles Addams, about half of which were published in The New Yorker between 1938 and Addams’ death in 1988. The characters became famous through ABC’s sitcom, which ran for two seasons between 1964 and 1966 and led to several other TV series, two Paramount live-action films and, most recently, a Broadway musical. News about the sequel was first reported by Deadline.
