Piranha 3D, released in August 2010, was a surprisingly fun cheesy horror movie that took advantage of the 3D gimmick and delivered buckets of gore as well as a lot of laughs. Making more money than many anticipated, Dimension Films was quick to greenlight a sequel called Piranha 3DD. Nope, still not that clever of a title.
Although the original’s director Alexandre Aja didn’t return and the budget was cut, the audience waited with baited (HA!) breath as its Thanksgiving 2011 release date approached. And then…nothing. Piranha 3DD was pushed back to a dreaded “TBA 2012” and not much news had come out about a release date. Until now that is, and if you’re a UK reader the news may or may not be great.
Dread Central reports that Piranha 3DD will be bypassing theaters and going straight to DVD in the U.K. It will be released on March 19, 2012 on DVD/Blu-ray. No reason was given for the change of heart. While the U.K. audience will miss out on seeing CGI piranhas vomit up naughty bits on the big screen this time around, we here in the United States are luckily not getting to miss out on this experience. The folks over at Daily Dead got into contact with Piranha 3DD co-writer Patrick Melton who soothed our worried minds as well as gave us information on the ping ponging of its release date:
To clarify, the Thanksgiving release was always overly optimistic. Marcus and I started writing the script around Thanksgiving a year prior. Making the film within that time period is plausible (we’ve done it on Saw, obviously), but it became clear very early on that our goals were not realistic because we needed sun, water slides, and bikini-clad coeds… three things not very prevalent in the United States during the months of January and February. We initially scouted Louisiana and realized that we wouldn’t be able to shoot until late March because of the cold weather. Now, with the additional FX worked needed to create/enhance the piranhas, the Thanksgiving release was out the window.
Nevertheless, we plowed on and finished shooting in late May. Over the summer, Gulager edited and picked up a few shots around Los Angeles. This is typical of every movie made. Scenes, jokes, and kills were simply enhanced to make the movie more of an event. About a month ago, it was tested and scored very well. So well the studio gave us more money to enhance the FX. Soon, it’ll be done and ready for a theatrical release. Because of the “Spring Break vibe” in the film, spring was the obvious time to open it. And because Dimension Films financed the movie and owns the movie, they call the shots on when it’s released worldwide.
So, that’s the long and short of it. All good. In theaters this spring. See you then.
So there you have it; not only does it have a firm release date, but Dimension digs it enough to throw it some more money after slashing its budget previously. That’s a good sign. Although part of me wishes it would go straight to DVD here as well; Piranha 3DD is the type of movie that feels more at home in that medium than getting a big wide release in multiplexes across the country. Teaser below if you missed it.
Synopsis:
Having awoken from their spring break extravaganza at Lake Victoria, the swarm heads upstream where they look to make a meal out of Big Wet, a local water park where when it comes to fun, nobody does it wetter! Thought they came to get wet, get loaded and get some, the staff and patrons get more than they bargained for when they must face the fiercest, most bloodthirsty piranhas yet. Lead by the strong-willed, studious Maddy and her friends, Barry and Kyle, the trio must dive in and take on these man-eating creatures using every ounce of their being … but can they be stopped?