‘Paddington in Peru’ Shifts to Valentine’s Day Release in the U.S.

U.S. audiences will have to wait a little longer to get their Paddington fix, as the successful film franchise’s third installment, “Paddington in Peru,” shifts from a Jan. 2025 release to Valentine’s Day.

Instead of debuting on Jan. 17, the family film will now bow on Feb. 14, which also happens to coincide with the President’s Day weekend. The shift positions the family film on a double holiday weekend, which means a large percentage of K-12 students will be out of school for an extended break and looking for something to do…or so the thinking goes.

“Paddington 3” debuted in the U.K. earlier this month and scored a record-breaking opening weekend, collecting £9.65 million ($12.4 million) — the biggest debut for a British film since 2021’s “No Time to Die.” The first two “Paddington” movies have earned in excess of $600 million globally, with the third installment aiming the franchise towards the $1 billion mark.

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Based on the bestselling series of children’s stories by British author Michael Bond, “Paddington in Peru” sees Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) receive a letter from Peru telling him that his beloved Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) has inexplicably gone missing from her jungle cabin at the Home for Retired Bears. With his adopted family, the Brown’s, in tow, adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and to the mountain peaks of Peru.

In addition to Whishaw and Staunton, the returning cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin. The ensemble is rounded out by new additions like Olivia Colman, Emily Mortimer, Carla Tous and Antonio Banderas.

In a recent feature about Paddington Bear’s return to the big screen, Variety explained how “Paddington 3″ came to feature both the late Queen Elizabeth II and the actor who portrayed her in “The Crown.”

“[The royal family] were actually very happy for it to happen,” producer Rosie Alison said. “But we don’t like to make a big deal of it, because Paddington’s obviously a very modest fellow.”

Colman similarly signed on without hesitation. “Oh yeah, I mean, it’s Paddington!” she said of agreeing to play a singing, guitar-wielding and “The Sound of Music”-inspired nun who runs the “home for retired bears. “Paddington is just the best person in the whole wide world … Imagine if everyone was like Paddington, wouldn’t that be lovely?”

Dougal Wilson directed the film from a screenplay by Mark Burton and Jon Foster & James Lamont. Paul King (who helmed the first two “Paddington” film) developed the story with Simon Farnaby and Burton.

Studiocanal fully financed “Paddington in Peru” and is handling distribution in the U.K., France, Germany, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand, as well as through partners in China and Japan. Sony Pictures will distribute the film in the U.S., Canada and other key international territories including Latin America.