Universal Pictures has set a release date for Trolls 3, the third film in the Trolls animated film franchise from DreamWorks Animation.
The first film in the series, Trolls, was released in 2016 and starred Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, James Corden, Zooey Deschanel, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. It earned a reported $350 million at the global box office. The film even earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song with Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling.
Universal has chosen to premiere the animated film at the multiplex after the second movie in the franchise, Trolls World Tour, broke the theatrical window for its release amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The first sequel to the Trolls franchise, voice-starring Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick, earned over $100 million on streaming platforms in its first weeks of release on premium VOD (PVOD) as Universal chose not to wait for cinemas to reopen.
The series has also spawned two spin-off children’s shows with Trolls: The Beat Goes On! releasing on Netflix and TrollsTopia streaming on both Hulu and Peacock. Along with the spin-off series, the Trolls franchise has also spawned two holiday specials, 2017’s Trolls Holiday and Trolls Holiday in Harmony which is set to air on NBC on 26 November. Additionally, both holiday specials see the stars of the movies, like Kendrick and Timberlake, reprising their roles.
Trolls 3, unlike its 2020 predecessor, will be an exclusive theatrical release for 17 days before going on PVOD. It’s not clear yet if Trolls director Walt Dohrn is returning to helm the threequel.
DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls 3 is set for a 17 November 2023 theatrical release.
