The rumours about Mamma Mia 3 started swirling on social media just after the theatrical release of ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ in 2018, which served as a direct sequel to the original 2008 entry. The first instalment and its sequel have performed exceptionally well at the box office, earning over $690 and $400 million, respectively. This scenario sets a great platform for the third entry to perform well financially. It proves that the franchise has a pretty good fanbase. Although, it depends on Universal to officially greenlight the third entry for the globally popular rom-com franchise. Meryl Streep and other members of the franchise’s cast recently had an interview with Vogue to discuss the possibility of Mamma Mia 3.
Several members of the franchise’s cast revealed that the fans want Mamma Mia 3. But they fear it will be too late when it reaches theatres.
Streep joked about this scenario and said, “We may have to call it Grand-Mamma Mia! by the time we make it!”
“I will be in an urn by the time there’s a script for Mamma Mia 3, but I will gladly participate as a pile of ashes,” added Stellan Skarsgard (The Avengers, Dune, and Andor).
Amanda Seyfried (who plays Sophie Sheridan in the franchise) believes that the decision to release Mamma Mia 3 belongs to Universal. “Nobody is saying no, but nobody is saying yes either. The powers that be probably can’t afford us, to be honest. I hate to say it, because would I do Mamma Mia 3 for free—of course, I would—but that’s not the business we’re in. What’s fair is fair, and I feel like a third film is gonna come down to something stupid like whether or not Universal wants to pay the money.”
There’s no denying that Hollywood’s focus on rom-coms has reduced significantly in the last few years. Why? Well, studios treat films as ‘for-profit ventures’. It means there is only one thing that can truly satisfy filmmakers and major studios: Money. And a large portion of that money has been usurped by big film franchises, such as Marvel, in recent years. In addition, rom-coms often fail to attract people’s attention (both inside and outside of the industry) during the awards season. Moreover, the rise of streaming services has made it very easy for people to watch rom-coms in their homes rather than spending money on them to watch them in theatres.
Another factor that has significantly contributed to the lack of rom-coms in Hollywood is that the projects of this genre are not strong enough in terms of global appeal. You can check the list of highest-grossing movies of all time and will not find a single rom-com on that list. Additionally, we cannot ignore the rising demand for cultural diversity that has made it difficult for film studios to bankroll conventional rom-coms.
The success of Mamma Mia 3 will largely depend upon the popularity and charm of the film’s cast, which should probably feature big names like Meryl Streep, Stellan Skarsgard, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried, Cher, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, and more. Stay tuned for more updates.