Sensing a familiar air of franchise potential that fired Despicable Me and those bumbling Minions to box office glory, Illumination Entertainment has announced The Secret Life of Pets 2 for release in 2018 – July 13, 2018, to be specific, placing the nascent sequel in close proximity to both Ant-Man and the Wasp and Robert Rodriguez’s long-awaited sci-fi movie, Alita: Battle Angel.
It’s early days on this one, but we understand that Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri is attached to produce the follow-up, partnering once again with Janet Healy.
Indeed, news of The Secret Life of Pets 2 finding a home at Illumination shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given the original’s impressive box office haul. Upon hitting theaters earlier this year, the cutesy animation made history by going on to enjoy the biggest U.S. opening weekend for an original film, animated or otherwise. That figure checked in at $104 million, and the total worldwide cume for Secret Life of Pets is now somewhere north of $400 million.
Not bad for an original property. Hatched by co-directors Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney, Louis C.K., Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Jenny Slate, Steve Coogan, Bobby Moynihan, Kevin Hart, Eric Stonestreet, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Hannibal Buress and Albert Brooks were among the voice cast.
It’s official: The Secret Life of Pets 2 will scurry into theaters in time for July 13, 2018. For more coverage of Illumination’s budding new franchise, have a gander at our review of Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney’s spirited animation.