Escape Room fans, find out all the latest news about a potential third instalment to the franchise. Discover what we know so far about a possible Escape Room 3!
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Directed by Adam Robitel and written by Bragi F. Schut and Maria Melnik, the first film in the Escape Room series featured Taylor Russell as Zoey Davis, a young college student. As the lead character in the movie, she received a mysterious box inviting her and five other individuals to attend an escape room event. Upon arriving, they are locked in the room and forced to solve a series of puzzles and complete room after room to survive.
Escape Room was marketed as a psychological horror film and certainly delivered on the atmosphere and performances. But rightfully, the film was criticized for failing to reach its full potential, falling victim to the class horror tropes accompanying movies like these. It spawned a sequel in 2021 called Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, which saw the continuation of the first film’s events. Unfortunately, the film was not a success. So, will the series be seeing a third film?
The second film was released in June 2021 and underperformed at the box office. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions only grossed a third of what the first film made since its release, standing at $66 million. However, in terms of the story, it still sets up many questions that remain unanswered. This was an intentional decision on the end of the director Adam Robitel and is possibly a part of his plan to set up a third movie in the franchise.
Here is everything we know so far concerning a possible Escape Room 3.
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Has an Escape Room 3 Film Been Confirmed?
Despite the last film underperforming at the box office, there is still hope for a third instalment of this YA version of Saw. With that being said, there is yet to be any confirmation on whether another movie will be happening in the future. The director of the film told Nightmarish Conjurings in an interview that another instalment will depend on the box office returns following the last film’s release. But as already stated, it did not see as much of a profit as the franchise’s first instalment. This is, however, a direct result of the film’s release amidst the covid-19 pandemic. If one considers that, it did pretty well.
He went on to say that a third film might be greenlit if there is a desire for it. Adam Robitel said, “We’ll see! I always say, let’s see if there’s a desire for it. It all comes down to bucks as they say.” Since then, there has been no update on whether another movie will join the series.
When Will Escape Room 3 Be Release?
As there has not even been an announcement on whether a third film will even be happening, it is understandable that there is no expected release date. However, if one looks back at the release date of the second film, it might be easier to gauge how long a third film will take to hit fans’ screens. With the first instalment released in 2019, viewers only saw a second film two years later, in 2021. However, again, the pandemic significantly affected the film’s release, which saw dates shuffling around. Initially, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions was set to release as soon as April 2020, only a year later. It was then moved to January 2022 before finally settling on June 2021.
So, if fans took all this into account, then it would be safe to assume that a third film would hit cinemas anywhere between 2024 and 2025 if it were to be greenlit within 2023.
Which Cast Members Would Return for The Next Movie?
At the end of the first film, it was seen that the only two players left alive were Taylor Russell as Zoey Davis and Logan Miller as Ben Miller.
In the second film, both actors reprised their roles as the lead characters of the narrative. However, similarly to the first movie, the pair was joined by four other players. This time around, they were all champions from previous games hosted by Minos Corporation. It would make sense that none of the cast of the previous film would be able to return as they were all killed off within the series of games they partook in. This time, the group consisted of new characters played by different actors.
It would be safe to assume that if Escape Room 3 were to hit cinemas, Russell and Miller would be the only returning cast members from previous films.
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What Would The Plot of The Third Film Be?
To recap the previous two films, the first saw Zoey and Ben as the winners of the escape room puzzles. At the end of the film, Zoey meets up with Ben and shares with him her discoveries about who was behind the games. Upon leaving the building, she had the police scout the building they were in, only to find it completely abandoned. As good as a gaslighting plot as this was on the part of the evil corporation, Zoey figured that they must have owned the building and somehow was able to track it back to Minos Corporation. She concluded that they were the perpetrators behind the messed-up series of events. This can be confirmed when the film shows them setting up another game to trap her when she plans to head to their base in New York alongside Ben.
The start of the second film shows the duo driving to their destination instead of flying with Zoey, narrowly missing their trap. This isn’t for long, though; after they arrive, the two are baited into an underground railway where the first puzzle of the game commences. It is here where they meet survivors from previous games and discover that they all have something in common. For example, Nathan (played by Thomas Cocquerel) admits that his group were all priests. In contrast, Rachel Ellis (played by Holland Roden) noted that her entire group consisted of people who could not feel physical pain. As the games continue, Zoey reveals Minos Corporations’ plans when she discovers that Amanda (Deborah Ann Woll) survived the games from the first film.
Their intentions are brought to the forefront when audiences discover that Amanda has been forced to work with them as a game designer. And the company has plans to make Zoey join their evil schemes, too, having them literally beg her in one of the final games. The film ends with Zoey having the company’s plans conspiracies go public and the police retrieving the dead bodies of the victims from the scene. But as she takes a plane home, she once again is caught in a trap set by the company. This raises more questions, the most important being where the story will go this time.
Because surely, they cannot follow the same formula twice by having the poor girl compete in yet another series of games. This will quickly grow tired and have audiences lose interest. That is unless they take a different angle and approach it with a creative eye. Escape Room 3 could see more of the company’s inner workings uncovered and explore the origins of the games even further. This would answer many of the fans’ questions about the film’s lore. Furthermore, a third film should prove to be the last in the series as it would provide enough room to neatly tie up any storyline that might not have seen closure previously.
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