A recent update has raised doubts over Paddington 4, despite the success of Paddington in Peru, the third instalment in the beloved franchise.
Although a StudioCanal executive announced in September 2024 that a fourth film was in development to coincide with Paddington’s 70th anniversary in 2028, producer Rosie Alison has since labelled this statement as “premature”.
Alison explained to Screen Daily that the future of the Paddington franchise hinges on the global box office performance of the third film, which is set to be released in multiple territories, including Australia, the US, and Europe, throughout January and February.
“We have to wait and see how this one performs in the rest of the world and the States, as we hope it will. We will see how things look by Easter. But hopefully. There’s a very clear hint of what might happen next at the end of this film.”
Alison expressed her fondness for the first two Paddington films but feels particularly protective of the third instalment, acknowledging that it faced high expectations following the success of its predecessors.
Paddington 4’s future is in doubt despite the success of the franchise
(Image: (Image: StudioCanal))
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Despite this, Paddington in Peru has garnered positive reviews from critics and achieved box office success since its UK release in November.
In its debut weekend, it achieved the highest opening of the year for a British-produced film, and the best since Bond’s No Time To Die, which was released in 2021.
The three-day total came to £9.65 million, surpassing the first two films which earned £5.1 million and £8.2 million in their opening weekends.
So far, it has grossed $51.2 million, but it remains to be seen how the film will fare in other parts of the world.
The Express reports the original Paddington film was released in 2014, followed by Paddington 2 in 2017.
Paddington in Peru released in November last year
(Image: (Image: StudioCanal))
In addition to the films, a television series titled The Adventures of Paddington was announced in 2017. The series premiered globally on Nickelodeon for the first time on January 20, 2020.
The beloved bear first appeared in the children’s book A Bear Called Paddington by British author Michael Bond on October 13, 1958.
He featured in 29 books by the author, with the last, Paddington at St Paul’s, being published posthumously in 2018.
The character has become a classic figure in children’s literature, with the iconic bear known for his old red hat, brown suitcase, blue duffel coat and insatiable love for marmalade.
Paddington in Peru is still available to watch in select UK cinemas