Families won’t have to worry about masking up when Hotel Transylvania 4 checks in because Sony’s animated sequel is skipping theaters in favor of an Amazon Prime Video debut. Per Variety, Sony Pictures Animation and Amazon are nearing a $100 million deal of the animated feature Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.
The Hotel Transylvania franchise has scared up $1.3 billion in theaters since the first entry was released in 2012 (making over $358 millIon worldwide), but with Covid cases on the rise, once again, Drac and his friends are looking to stay out of cinemas. While the move is unfortunate for theater owners, it’s a safe course of action for Sony. As the situation currently stands, New York City will be instituting a vaccine mandate for indoor venues on Tuesday. This stands to put a major dent in Sony’s returns for any family-friendly feature, and so the company sought an alternative release strategy.
Expected to be the final chapter in the Hotel Transylvania film series, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania finds Drac and his monster pals undergoing a series of freaky transformations that land them in a heap of trouble. This time out, Drac will be voiced by Brian Hull, as opposed to Adam Sandler. Brad Abrell also replaces Kevin James as Frankenstein. However, key members of the supporting cast remain, including Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Keegan-Michael Key, and Fran Drescher. Jim Gaffigan, Molly Shannon, and Kathryn Hahn also star.
Are you and your family ready to watch Hotel Transylvania 4 on Amazon, or would you have preferred to see it in theaters? The film is directed by Derek Drymon and Jennifer Kluska from a script by Amos Vernon, Nunzio Randazzo. Genndy Tartakovsky serves as executive producer. The film was supposed to open in theaters on October 1st of this year.