If you were to guess what the top five grossing movies are domestically in 2018 so far, you'd probably name the blockbusters to be sure and maybe even A Quiet Place. But sneakily hanging out in the five spot (for now), like a rodent in a vegetable garden, is Sony's feature adaptation of Beatrix Potter's classic children's books, Peter Rabbit. On a $50 million budget, Peter Rabbit grossed around $115 domestically with over $325 million worldwide, so it should come as no surprise that a sequel film is happening. Sony Pictures has now slated Peter Rabbit 2 for February 7th, 2020.
This news was broken by The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit on Twitter, and given that Peter Rabbit quickly turned into a hit when it was released a few months ago, it's not exactly a shock that Sony would want to get moving on a sequel. The family film debuted in theaters back in February to the tune of $25 million, proving wise counter-programming to the less kid-friendly Fifty Shades Freed, which also bowed that weekend. Rather than mess with the formula, Sony will be releasing Peter Rabbit 2 on basically the same weekend in two years, apparently happy with the original's performance and the sparser February competition relative to warmer months.
Peter Rabbit didn't enjoy quite the critical acclaim of something like the perfect Rotten Tomatoes scored Paddington 2, but it did enjoy favorable reviews and performed vastly better than Disney's PG-rated blockbuster aimed at kids, A Wrinkle in Time. Who would have guessed that at the beginning of the year? Although it didn't live-up to the spirit and warmth of Beatrix Potter's classic tale, Peter Rabbit entertained and provided easy laughs, in large part thanks to a fully committed comedic performance from Domhnall Gleeson, which is really the bar (or fence) any children's movie must clear. Peter Rabbit featured an all star cast that one presumes, although it has not been confirmed, would also be returning for the sequel. including James Corden, Rose Byrne, Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley and Elizabeth Debicki.
Although we are almost two years out from Peter Rabbit 2 and schedules can change, it doesn't hurt to see what the sequel film will be going up against when it debuts. As of right now, Peter Rabbit 2 is looking like it will again be counter-programming against an as-yet-untitled Warner Bros. event film. We speculate that this could be a DC film, but until something is announced we won't know for sure. Also slated for that date is a film that could provide some competition for the elementary school crowd, The Loud House, based on the Nickelodeon series of the same name is also scheduled for February 7th. If Peter Rabbit 2 delivers, Sony could have a strong kid franchise on its hands. Peter Rabbit 2 would also be well served to remember to be sensitive to food allergies and to not play horror movie trailers before it this time around.
Again, Peter Rabbit 2 sneaks into theaters on February 7th, 2020. For movies releasing in the much nearer future, check out our release schedule.
