Dalmatians are proving to be Disney’s new best friends.
As Cruella heads into its second weekend, The Hollywood Reporter has learned the studio behind the Emma Stone-starrer is in early development on a sequel. Cruella director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Tony McNamara are expected to return for a sequel to the film that stars Stone as fan-favorite One Hundred and One Dalmatians villainess Cruella de Vil.
Cruella debuted May 28 simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ under the streaming service’s Premier Access tier, making it available to purchase for $30. The film has earned $48.5 million globally. It received positive reviews and has been praised for its 1970s punk rock aesthetic.
“We are very pleased with Cruella’s box office success, in conjunction with its strong Disney+ Premier Access performance to date,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “The film has been incredibly well received by audiences around the world, with a 97% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes in addition to A’s in every demographic from CinemaScore on opening weekend, ranking it among the most popular of our live-action reimaginings. We look forward to a long run as audiences continue to enjoy this fantastic film.”
Disney has found success mining its library of beloved animated features for live-action, starting with Alice in Wonderland (2010) and including Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent (2014), Cinderella (2015) and $1 billion grossers that include Beauty and the Beast (2017), Aladdin (2019) and The Lion King (2019). The studio isn’t done with its successful decade-plus strategy yet as it has live-action reimaginings Pinocchio, Peter Pan & Wendy and The Little Mermaid in the works.