Pitch Perfect 3 Pushed Back to December 2017 Release

05/31/2016 07:25 pm EDT

The Pitch Perfect series will return, but it'll be hitting theaters a few months later than first aca-spected. The release of Pitch Perfect 3 was moved back by Universal Pictures Tuesday, from July 21, 2017 to December 22, 2017. Universal has put the film Girl Trip in Pitch Perfect 3's original slot, bumping up its release.

The third film in the a capella themed film series will see stars Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, and Rebel Wilson returning, and Elizabeth Banks returning to direct. The sequel's worldwide gross came out to nearly ten times its budget, and more than double the original film, proving the staying power of the franchise. Kay Cannon is writing the screenplay, having written the previous two films, as well as several episodes of New Girl and 30 Rock on television.

That final Friday before Christmas in 2017 is starting to look crowded, with Fox, Universal, Weinstein/Dimension, and Warner Bros. all releasing films that day. Pitch Perfect 3 will go head-to-head with The Croods 2, The Six Billion Dollar Man, and an as-yet unannounced "PG-13 Comedy" from WB. That's all to say nothing of Star Wars: Episode VIII hitting theaters just seven days before, on December 15, following up on the story of The Force Awakens, which set over 30 box office records. Fox will release a second movie in that window, as well, a movie musical called The Greatest Showman on Earth starring Hugh Jackman that hits theaters Christmas Day.

July 2017 is likewise fairly crowded with more than a year to go, with the first Marvel/Sony joint production, Spider-Man: Homecoming, another Planet of the Apes film, The Rock's Jumanji reboot and a Disney live-action Fairy-Tale film all on the docket for that month.

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