After the successful release of Sing 2 in late 2021, Illumination officially announced that Sing 3 is in development.
2016's Sing received widespread acclaim from fans and critics while also earning more than $634 million worldwide.
As a result, its success led to Sing 2, which ultimately earned positive reviews while also dominating the streaming realm amid the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
While one of the main selling points of the first two Sing movies is its star-studded cast, the animated films also showcased a heartfelt story that elevates its incredible characters
Sing 3 in the Works From Illumination
Speaking with Variety, Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri confirmed that Sing 3 is "deep into development," teasing that the threequel will take fans "into a new world:"
“It will involve characters from the original cast, but it will take us into a new world.”
Meledandri's confirmation that the original cast is returning means that its all-star ensemble featuring the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, and Matthew McConaughey will all come back.
Sing 2 generated more than $400 million at the box office, but it premiered in theaters during the Omicron COVID-19 wave, which affected its ticket sales.
Despite that, Meledandri pointed out that the sequel was a streaming hit, becoming the third highest-streamed movie overall in the United States in 2022 with over over 80 million streams on Netflix.
The Illumination boss explained that the sequel's streaming success served as a beacon that "fans want to stay in this world with these characters:"
“We don’t just look at box office. We gauge the audience response in different ways. The streaming success of ‘Sing 2’ signals that fans want to stay in this world with these characters.”
What Is Sing 3’s Story? (Theory)
At the end of Sing 2, Buster, Rosita, Johnny, and the rest of the gang successfully put on a show, recruit star lion Clay Calloway out of retirement, and place media mogul Jimmy Crystal behind the bars.
The sequel ended on a happy note, with Suki confirming that The Majestic was interested in signing Buster's group and putting their show at their theater.
Given that Sing 3 is now confirmed, the threequel may explore the aftermath of the team's success and expand on the story of how The Majestic tries to capitalize on their talents.
However, a more interesting narrative that Sing 3 could explore is a story set years after Sing 2's happy ending. It's possible that Buster and the rest of the core group disbanded due to an unknown reason, thus leading to a threequel centered around the group's reunion for another show.
A reunion plot for Sing 3 allows a more compelling storyline while also highlighting the group's core dynamic (which is the franchise's strength).
Hopefully, more concrete details about Sing 3 will emerge sooner rather than later.
Sing 2 is streaming on Netflix.
