"Trolls 3" Gets 2023 Release Date

Universal Pictures announced on Monday plans for a third “Trolls” movie.

The untitled movie in the animated family-friendly franchise will debut in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023, deviating from the release pattern of its predecessor, which unexpectedly shook up the film exhibition industry last year.

The studio had planned to release “Trolls World Tour” in March 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic forced theaters around the globe to close.

Rather than delaying the movie until cinemas were able to reopen, Universal decided to release it on digital rental service on the same day as its theatrical debut.

It grossed $47 million at the international box office during the pandemic and another $100 million on streaming platforms in its first few weekends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjhfoqOf9NI

The first Trolls movie was released in 2016 and had generated $350 million at the global box office and landed an Oscar nomination for Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling”.

For families with young kids who can’t wait until 2023 to watch the further adventures of Poppy and Branch, NBC is premiering “Trolls Holiday in Harmony,” an all-new special featuring the voices of Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake. It will air on Friday, Nov. 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. In the holiday-themed episode, Queen Poppy is planning the inaugural Trolls Kingdom Secret Holiday Gift Swap. But things take an unexpected turn when she and Branch draw each other’s name.

“Trolls” has become an important property for Universal because beyond the film franchise, it benefits from all the ancillary goodies — video games, lunch boxes, toys, sleeping bags and touring concerts — that lend itself to a kids film.