'The Strangers - Chapter 2' Star Provides Update on When Final Chapter Will Hit Theaters Actorsvaultpro

Madelaine Petsch has provided a hint as to when fans can expect to see the third entry in The Strangers trilogy. Petsch returns as Maya Lucas in The Strangers: Chapter 2, having appeared in Chapter 1, which was released in the summer of 2024. The three Strangers movies were filmed together from September to November 2022, directed by Renny Harlin. With Petsch at the center of this rebooted series, she finds herself in conflict with the three masked killers who first debuted in 2008’s The Strangers.

With The Strangers: Chapter 2 arriving over a year after Chapter 1, this has led many to wonder when the third and final film in the trilogy will be released. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Petsch confirmed that the film is completed, so it all depends on Lionsgate and where they can fit it in their release schedule. Petsch says he hopes it is sooner than the sixteen-month period between The Strangers: Chapter 1 and The Strangers: Chapter 2.

“If it [goes] our way, then hopefully it’ll be sooner. That would be the goal. It is basically done. But it’s about whatever Lionsgate feels and what fits into their release schedule the best. It’s also about what other movies are already releasing during those weekends, so that’s up to the Lionsgate Gods. All I know is that we are done, and we are ready to show it as soon as possible.”

When Fans Might Expect ‘The Strangers: Chapter 3’

Madelaine Petsch as Maya and Gabriel Besso as Gregory in The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)

Lionsgate

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opened in theaters on May 17, 2024. It seemed the original plan was to release the three films within the span of a year, with Chapter 2 planned for Fall 2024, and Chapter 3 possibly arriving in Summer 2025. However, it appears that Lionsgate has opted to stretch the films out to one a year, giving them an annual horror release for their schedule. While both the original The Strangers and The Strangers: Chapter 1 were summer movies, for Chapter 2, Lionsgate opted for a fall release, likely hoping to cash in on the Halloween season.

Lionsgate has a big gap in their release schedule from the Michael Jackson biopic Michael on April 24, 2026, to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping on November 20, 2026. That is a six-month period for them to slot in The Strangers: Chapter 3. Both May 8 and May 29 have no films slated for release, so if Lionsgate is feeling confident in The Strangers: Chapter 3, they could release it then. Meanwhile, there is also a rather slow-looking August, if Lionsgate wanted a less competitive summer and gave Chapter 3 an eleven-month window from Chapter 2.

Much of it will likely depend on the potential box office performance of The Strangers: Chapter 2. Chapter 1 opened to $12 million and went on to gross $35.2 million domestically and $48.2 million worldwide. With an $8.5 million budget, the first film’s word of mouth was largely negative, which may end up impacting the box office of Chapter 2. According to Variety, the sequel is projected to open with a $6 to $8 million weekend, which still gives it a chance of recouping its budget. The idea of three years in a row with a new entry in The Strangers franchise harkens back to the days of Saw and Paranormal Activity. It will be interesting to see if Lionsgate has any plans for The Strangers after this trilogy.