Some movies have franchise written all over them. For example, if a movie is named Batman Begins, you can be pretty certain that after his beginning, Batman's adventures will continue with a middle and an end. But other movies come out of seemingly nowhere and end up receiving the franchise treatment. Case in point: The 2013 film Now You See Me. A rare original idea about magicians who complete a heist, the film was a surprise hit, grossing $350 million at the box office on a $75 million budget. Now with the sequel hitting theaters this month, fans want to know if there is a Now You See Me 3 movie in the works.
Get excited, magic fans, because Now You See Me 3 is in the works. Before the sequel even hit theaters, a third film was already announced. Dave McNary of Variety reported back in May of 2015, a full year before Now You See Me 2 was set to debut, that Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed there would be a third installment. Then in April of this year, McNary again reported on the progress of the third film, stating that Jon Chu (who directed Now You See Me 2) was signed on to direct the third installment as well.
No cast have been announced for the third film, but it seems likely that franchise stars Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman would all return. Other possibilities include Daniel Radcliffe and Lizzy Caplan, who both debuted in the sequel. Another possibility could be the return of Isla Fisher, who starred in the first film but was unable to reprise her role in the second. Though given that Fisher claims she nearly drowned during production of the first film, she might not be too excited about returning to the franchise.
So at this point, with Now You See Me 3 being announced over a year ago, is there anything that could prevent the third movie from happening? Hypothetically, there is. Production has not yet begun on the film, so if Now You See Me 2 ends up being a disappointment at the box office, then Lionsgate may have second thoughts about continuing the franchise. The studio believes the sequel will outgross the original, so if it ends up making less, that would make it a disappointment. But how likely is that to happen?
It's hard to say. There is some evidence at the recent box office that moviegoers are showing signs of franchise fatigue. Last weekend, X-Men: Apocalypse debuted to an opening weekend that was a full $25 million less than its predecessor, X-Men: Days of Future Past. Also debuting last weekend was Alice Through the Looking Glass, which fared even worse. That film earned just $26 million in its opening frame, which is way below the $116 million opening Alice in Wonderland scored in back in 2010.
Fans will have to wait and see how Now You See Me performs once it hits theaters on June 10, but as of right now, it looks like this franchise won't be disappearing anytime soon.
Images: Summit Entertainment; Giphy
