UPDATE: Despite the IMDb page for the film listing Adam Sandler as returning, Sony has informed us that the actor is not involved in the movie and Dracula will instead be voiced by Brian Hull.
Adam Sandler might have only made one sequel in his live-action days so far, with Grown Ups the sole movie in a career dating back over 30 years that got a second installment, but he’s more than happy to keep returning to the recording booth to voice Dracula in Sony’s hit Hotel Transylvania franchise.
The three family films to date have raked in more than $1.3 billion at the box office, and while reviews haven’t been universally positive, it does hold the rare distinction of being a big name franchise that’s seen the Rotten Tomatoes score rise with every new movie. The next outing for the series has now been moved forward two weeks, with Hotel Transylvania: Transformania opening on July 23rd instead of August 6th.
Transformania is the first without director Genndy Tartakovsky at the helm, but the animation veteran did come up with the story and write the screenplay, so his fingerprints will be all over the finished product nonetheless. It’s proven to be a hugely lucrative property for Sony, too, one that’s gone on to spawn a Disney Channel TV series, a handful of video games and a theme park attraction at Motiongate Dubai.
Hotel Transylvania might not hail from Adam Sandler‘s Happy Madison, but it certainly ticks all of the boxes expected from his output, delivering inoffensive and formulaic adventures that feature Kevin James, Steve Buscemi and David Spade in key supporting roles. Box office totals have been steadily increasing, with the third film posting a franchise-high total of $527 million, but Transformania isn’t expected to come close to those heights given the lingering effects of the Coronavirus pandemic on the theatrical industry, although there are definitely signs of life.
