2019 is already ending its second month, and Now You See Me fans are still wondering if the third act will come anytime soon to the theaters. It has been announced that Now You See Me 3 is already on its way. But, these claims were made almost four years ago.
So, where is it now?
Lionsgate first announced in 2015 that they already started to make plans for the Four Horsemen’s third heist. Even before the official release of Now You See Me 2, which was premiered on June 10, 2016, Variety already confirmed the Now You See Me 3 movements with Jon Feltheimer, CEO of Lionsgate.
During that year, Lionsgate is very much positive that the sequel (Now You See Me 2) will top the first installment's gross earnings at $350 million. Unfortunately, the sequel only garnered about $339.4 million in totality. But even so, the movie still made a net sum of $71.9 million. And although it is not what the production has expected, it still made a hit in box office.
In these figures, it is believed that almost (or more than) half of the numbers all came from China’s movie market industry. According to Forbes, ‘China has now become the biggest movie-going marketplace in the world.’ Moreover, the region is also seen as a ‘would-be savior’ for a few Hollywood films. This is why there were rumors that Now You See Me 3 is allegedly shot in China.
A month after Now You See Me 2 was released, The Hollywood Reporter dropped the news that Lionsgate, along with Leomus Pictures, is about to make a ‘Chinese spinoff’ of Now You See Me which will be the third installment of the franchise. The publication also stated the Leomus Pictures CEO, Jie Qiu, shared that the movie will feature mostly a Chinese cast.
It is believed that the Chinese inspiration and admiration for the movie started when Jay Chou joined the main cast on the sequel. A source also added that Leomus Pictures was an instrument in this casting. And as it happens, people from all over the globe were satisfied to see that the actor has played an essential part in the sequel.
There were even rumors that the actor will reprise his role on the third installment. But instead of playing a minor role, Jay Chou is reported to be one of the main casts of Now You See Me 3 that will premiere this year.
