Sony Pictures Animation has announced that Hotel Transylvania: Transformania will now release this July, two weeks earlier than planned. The fourth installment of the blockbuster animated comedy franchise was originally moved from its December 22, 2021, date to August 6, 2021. Now it will move up another two weeks and release on July 23, 2021.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is being billed as the final installment in the franchise. Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon are directing the movie with a screenplay from Genndy Tartakovsky, who directed the first three films in the franchise and co-wrote Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.
Specific plot details for Hotel Transylvania: Transformania have not been revealed. Adam Sandler will return as Dracula, the 540-year-old lord of vampires and founder of Hotel Transylvania. He's also the father of Mavis (Selena Gomez), who is married to the 29-year-old human Johnny (Andy Samberg).
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation released in 2018 and grossed $580 million worldwide on a budget of just $80 million. It was the highest-grossing movie in the Hotel Transylvania franchise and is Sony Pictures Animation's highest-grossing fully-animated movie worldwide.
With COVID-19 vaccinations rolling out and pandemic restrictions lifting, it appears Sony is hoping Hotel Transylvania: Transformania could become this summer's family-friendly blockbuster. And after a year of theaters being closed, perhaps parents will be eager to take their kids on a trip to the movies.