Sony is moving StudioCanal’s Paddington in Peru to Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day weekend, Feb. 14. The film was originally set to go over MLK weekend, Jan. 17, 2025.
The news comes in the wake of the Dougal Wilson directed threequel notching the best UK opening for a British production since 2021’s No Time to Die at a 3-day of £9.65M ($12.4M). That bow also repped the highest-ever for Studiocanal. The 2014 original opened to £5.1M, and the 2017 sequel did £8.2M in its debut. Combined, the previous two films grossed $600M worldwide.
Sony opened the original Peter Rabbit in 2018 in the pre-Valentine’s/Presidents Day frame where it racked up a solid $25M before legging out to $115.2M. The other upside to going later is that Paddington 3 will steer clear of any crazy holdover business by family foursome Wicked, Moana 2, Mufasa and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Paddington 3 will be the only family film in the marketplace until Snow White on March 21, 2025.
The first Paddington which was released by Weinstein Co.’s Dimension on Jan. 16, 2015 to $18.9M, while the second movie, which was pulled out of the Weinstein Co. bankruptcy by Warner Bros. opened to $11M over Jan. 12, 2018.
Left standing on Jan. 17 is Universal/Blumhouse’s Wolfman, and Paramount’s wide break of thriller, September 5.
Paddington in Peru travels to a hotbed weekend in which he’ll go up against Disney/Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World and Briarcliff Entertainment’s Verona’s Romeo & Juliet.