“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” will hit theaters worldwide on Sept. 8, 2023, distributor Focus Features announced Friday.
The highly anticipated third film in the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” franchise was written and directed by its star Nia Vardalos. Alongside her filming in Athens are co-stars John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Maria Vacratsis, Andrea Martin, Elias Kavacas, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone and Melina Kotselou.
Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Gary Goetzman produced the film, with Paul Brooks, Scott Niemeyer and Steven Shareshian serving as executive producers.
Focus is releasing “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” in the U.S., while Universal Pictures International is handling international distribution.
“The sweet friendship which bloomed from the producers’ first taking a chance on me then grew into a beautiful relationship as they entrusted me to direct this installment of our franchise,” Nardalos said in a statement. “We filmed our family reunion entirely in Greece which was thrilling for us all. Plus, we ate for free.”
Producer Rita Wilson added, “It’s thrilling to have Nia Vardalos, Academy Award nominated writer, not only in front of the camera as our star, but also behind the camera as our director, guiding our beloved cast for this third film shot on location in Greece. ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ has brought audiences joy for twenty-one years. I’m so happy that more joy is on the way.”
Vardalos wrote and starred in the original “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” from 2002, which netted her an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and proved to be a surprise box office smash for an independent film, soaring through word-of-mouth to $368 million worldwide after opening to just over half a million dollars against a $5 million budget. It set a plethora of box office records in the process.
The original film was a comedy about a Greek woman named Toula (Vardalos) who falls in love with a non-Greek man (Corbett) and is forced to awkwardly introduce him to her large Greek family and their specific cultural customs.
The sequel in 2016 was released by Universal Pictures and made a respectable $90 million worldwide.