Paddington in Peru
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film industry |
| Founded | 2024 |
| Founder | Dougal Wilson (director), Mark Burton, Jon Foster, James Lamont (screenplay) |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Key people | Dougal Wilson (director), Mark Burton (screenwriter), Jon Foster (screenwriter), James Lamont (screenwriter), Ben Whishaw (voice of Paddington) |
| Products | Film |
| Parent | StudioCanal |
Paddington in Peru is a 2024 live-action animated adventure comedy film helmed by director Dougal Wilson with a screenplay penned by Mark Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamont. This film serves as the third chapter in the Paddington film franchise, inspired by the Paddington tales created by Michael Bond. The cast includes Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Olivia Colman, and Antonio Banderas, alongside Ben Whishaw who returns as the voice of Paddington. The storyline centers on the Brown family’s expedition into the Peruvian rainforest to locate Paddington’s Aunt Lucy.
The project entered development in February 2021, with the official title Paddington in Peru unveiled in June 2022. This film marks Dougal Wilson’s debut as a feature film director. Filming took place between July and October 2023 across locations in the United Kingdom, Colombia, and Peru.
Distributed by StudioCanal within the United Kingdom on 8 November 2024, Paddington in Peru achieved a global box office total of $192 million and was met with favorable reviews from critics. Plans for a fourth installment are currently underway.
Plot
Paddington receives correspondence from the Home for Retired Bears located in Peru, where Aunt Lucy has vanished and is exhibiting unusual behavior. In response, Paddington and the Brown family embark on a journey to Peru. Upon arrival, they are informed by the Reverend Mother that Aunt Lucy disappeared somewhere in the Amazon jungle, leaving behind only her glasses and bracelet. Inside Aunt Lucy’s cabin, Paddington discovers a map indicating Rumi Rock as the starting point of their quest; Mrs Bird and the Reverend Mother remain behind, with the latter entrusting Mrs Brown with a pendant believed to bring good fortune.
The Browns seek passage on a riverboat and encounter Hunter Cabot, its captain, along with his daughter Gina. Hunter is fixated on uncovering the legendary lost city of El Dorado, reputed to contain ancient Incan treasure. Recognizing Paddington’s bracelet, Hunter reveals that expeditions typically commence at Rumi Rock but often end disastrously. Motivated by ancestral spirits, Hunter intends to commandeer the voyage for his own purposes, resulting in tension with Gina. After casting Gina off the boat, Hunter himself falls overboard, triggering a shipwreck.
Separated from his family, Paddington arrives at Rumi Rock where Hunter awaits him. Hearing what he interprets as calls from Aunt Lucy, they join forces to pursue El Dorado. Meanwhile, Gina locates the Browns and exposes Hunter’s true intentions; together they set out to find Paddington. Concurrently, Mrs Bird grows wary of the Reverend Mother and uncovers that the pendant given to Mrs Brown functions as a tracking device. Utilizing this information, Mrs Bird and the Reverend Mother fly out to rescue the Browns.
Atop an Incan fortress summit featuring a coin slot matching Paddington’s bracelet emblem, Hunter assaults Paddington but is stopped by the Browns. The Reverend Mother reveals her identity as Clarissa Cabot—Hunter’s cousin presumed dead—who is also searching for El Dorado. She confesses to orchestrating Aunt Lucy’s disappearance to draw Paddington into her scheme. Clarissa holds the group at gunpoint but is ultimately overpowered by Hunter, who frees himself from his ancestral hallucinations. Using Paddington’s bracelet to unlock a passage, they enter El Dorado and find Aunt Lucy there. She explains that El Dorado is actually an orangery where Paddington was born; her bracelet originally belonged to him and serves as a symbol among El Dorado bears. Paddington forms connections with these bears but decides to return home to London with the Browns.
Following these events, Hunter reconciles with Gina and relinquishes his obsession with gold; Clarissa is sent to reside at the Home for Retired Polar Bears in the North Pole as she pursues becoming a nun. Several bears from El Dorado visit Paddington in London and receive names inspired by London rail stations. They later visit Phoenix Buchanan in prison, who is preparing a production of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" featuring these bears.
Cast
Hugh Grant makes a cameo return as Phoenix Buchanan, reprising his role from the second installment.
Development
In June 2016, the CEO of StudioCanal reaffirmed the studio's intention to produce a third Paddington movie. By November 2017, producer David Heyman revealed that preliminary talks regarding filming locations and scenes were underway, despite the absence of a completed script. A year later, Heyman confirmed the project's likelihood but noted that director Paul King would not be directing, although he remained involved in a creative capacity. Official development commenced in February 2021.
StudioCanal announced in July 2021 that filming was scheduled to begin in early 2022. The storyline was co-developed by King, Simon Farnaby, and Mark Burton, with the screenplay penned by Burton alongside Jon Foster and James Lamont. Drawing inspiration from Werner Herzog’s films Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo, the plot explores Peru’s rich landscapes and Incan mythology, merging traditional Andean culture with contemporary technology.
In June 2022, the film's title was revealed as Paddington in Peru, with Dougal Wilson attached as director for his feature debut. Principal photography was planned for 2023. By February 2023, voice actor Ben Whishaw had yet to receive a script and expressed uncertainty about the film's progress; nevertheless, production was confirmed to be underway by April 2023.
Casting and filming
In June, it was announced that Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, and Imelda Staunton would return to their roles. New additions included Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler, and Emily Mortimer, who took over the role of Mrs Brown from Sally Hawkins.
Filming commenced in the United Kingdom on 24 July despite concerns about potential delays due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Further shooting occurred on location in Colombia and Peru. Following Zegler’s departure to participate in strike picketing, Carla Tous was cast as Gina Cabot. Filming concluded in October 2023.
The movie features a brief glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II through a framed photo alongside Paddington, sourced from the short film created for her Platinum Jubilee. Additionally, author Michael Bond is depicted on a stamp featured in a letter Paddington receives.
Hugh Grant returned as Phoenix Buchanan in a post-credits sequence designed to preserve narrative continuity while addressing his absence from the main storyline. Grant contributed to writing this scene, which underscores the franchise’s recurring theme of forgiveness.
Post-production
Visual effects were handled by Framestore. The musical score was composed by Dario Marianelli, who also scored the second film.
Marketing
In July 2024, Jo Malone introduced a limited-edition marmalade-inspired cologne themed around Paddington.
For its release in Japan, the film's theme song is "Adventure" performed by Yoasobi.
Paddington Statue Trail Promotion
From October 2024, a promotional statue trail showcasing Paddington figures was displayed at 23 different sites throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In March 2025, two engineers dismantled half of a statue located in Newbury, Berkshire, the birthplace of Michael Bond. The damaged statue was subsequently restored, and the individuals involved were sentenced to community service and fined £2,725 each to cover repair expenses. The presiding judge criticized their conduct as being fundamentally opposed to the values embodied by the Paddington brand.
Release
Paddington in Peru had its London premiere on 3 November 2024, followed by its UK theatrical release on 8 November. Originally planned for a 17 January 2025 launch in the United States and other markets, the US release was postponed until 14 February.
Distribution
In May 2023, StudioCanal transferred distribution rights for most regions, including North America, to Sony Pictures. StudioCanal retained distribution control within the UK, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, the Benelux countries, and Poland. Sony oversees distribution in all other territories except China, Japan, and Russia.
Box Office Performance
Paddington in Peru earned $45.8 million across the United States and Canada and collected $146 million internationally—of which $48.2 million came from the UK—bringing its global total to $192 million.
The film achieved the largest opening weekend for a British production since No Time to Die in 2021, generating £9.65 million ($12.4 million) in the UK—a record debut within the Paddington series. It ranked as the third highest UK opening in 2024 behind Deadpool & Wolverine (£17.2 million) and Inside Out 2 (£11.3 million).
In North America, where it premiered alongside Captain America: Brave New World, forecasts estimated earnings between $15 million and $17 million from 3,890 theaters over four days. The opening day brought in $5.1 million—including $600,000 from Thursday previews—with a four-day total of $16 million ($13 million over the standard weekend), securing second place behind Brave New World. Its second weekend yielded $6.5 million (a 49% decline), placing third at the box office; by its sixth weekend, it had dropped out of the top ten.
Critical Reception
Taking Paddington to an unfamiliar environment under new creative guidance, Paddington in Peru delivers a pleasant family-friendly adventure. It holds a Metacritic rating of 65 and earned an "A" grade from CinemaScore audiences, consistent with its predecessors; PostTrak awarded it 4 out of 5 stars.
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, describing it as a reliable holiday option but noting that moving Paddington away from his British roots—while narratively justified and consistent with the franchise’s anti-xenophobia message—felt like a "shark-jumping" moment comparable to a sitcom special filmed abroad.
Stewart Heritage, also writing for The Guardian, called the movie "a bit of a damp squib" relative to earlier installments but acknowledged it as "far superior to recent live-action Disney remakes." He drew attention to a mid-credit scene featuring numerous bears introducing themselves to Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), highlighting that Grant contributed significantly to writing this sequence himself. Heritage emphasized Grant’s proven skill in crafting scenes for his projects, leveraging his experience in radio advertising.
Future
During Brand Licensing Europe 2024 held in London, Canal+ revealed plans for a fourth Paddington movie, aiming for a release date in either 2027 or 2028.