Sony and Columbia Pictures have unveiled the first-look images at the forthcoming Escape Room horror sequel as well as its new subtitle, Tournament of Champions, and plot details. The film is a follow-up to the 2019 box office hit thriller centered on six people who receive mysterious invites to participate in an escape room experience, only to find themselves trapped in a game with deadly consequences. The original cast included Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Jay Ellis, Tyler Labine, and Nik Dodani.
Though receiving mixed reviews from critics for not taking full advantage of the film’s premise, it still was generally better reviewed than the similar Saw franchise and grossed over $155 million against its $9 million budget. A month after its release, the studio confirmed a sequel to be in active development with director Adam Robitel and writing duo Bragi Schut and Maria Melnik returning. After seeing numerous release delays due to an elongated production and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the sequel is finally coming to theaters this July, just over two-and-a-half years after the original.
Sony has revealed the official synopsis for the upcoming sequel teasing the arrival of the film’s new characters and their previous involvement with the mysterious Minos organization behind the games. In addition, the studio unveiled new images giving a look at said characters, namely Indya Moore’s Brianna and Holland Roden’s Rachel. The official synopsis reads as follows:
“Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is the sequel to the box office hit psychological thriller that terrified audiences around the world. In this installment, six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive… and discovering they’ve all played the game before.”
While the first Escape Room wasn’t exactly the breath of fresh air its trap-based subgenre needed, it was a nice change of pace when looking at Saw, the only other franchise really known to audiences. Its cliffhanger ending certainly pointed towards the potential of an exciting follow-up, but the concept of a tournament of champions being forced to once again play Minos’ game is an intriguing way to shake up the formula from both the first film and Saw franchise. Unfortunately, the images are still keeping most of the exciting new traps hidden, but from the electrified subway setting to a larger, city street locale, it does appear to be upping the ante from the fairly contained rooms of its predecessor.
Given Chris Rock’s Spiral didn’t quite take off the way critics or audiences were hoping this month, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions could look to learn from its predecessor’s mistakes and deliver a more well-crafted and thrilling effort. While Robitel’s purposeful changing of the first film’s ending seemingly forced this sequel to life, the time taken to develop and film the sequel should hopefully better close the book for Russell and Miller’s characters while also leaving the door open for potential follow-ups. For the time being, fans can look forward to the first trailer dropping for the film on Wednesday.
Key Release Dates
Escape Room 2
Release Date:2021-07-16
