Warning: SPOILERS for Downton Abbey: A New Era
Although it's an even better film, Downton Abbey: A New Era has grossed much less at the global box office than the first Downton Abbey movie in 2019, and there are a few reasons for this unfortunate outcome. Written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and directed by Simon Curtis, A New Era reunites the entire Downton Abbey cast (except for Matthew Goode's Henry Talbot) and centers on a mystery from Lady Violet, the Dowager Countess' (Maggie Smith) past. Meanwhile, a British film company produces a movie at Downton Abbey, which is overseen by Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) as the Crawleys' loyal servants get in on the action.
Downton Abbey: A New Era follows up several plot threads in Downton Abbey 2019. Primarily set in 1928, Downton Abbey: A New Era begins with the wedding of Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton), and they now inherit the Brumpton Estate from her mother, Lady Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton). In between the films, assistant cook Daisy (Sophie McShera) and footman Andy Parker (Michael C. Fox) also got married. However, the mystery of why a French Marquis left a villa in the South of France to Lady Violet in his will prompts Robert, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), to lead a contingent of the Crawleys to the Riviera to learn the truth. Back at Downton, Lady Mary finds herself charmed by director Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy) while the servants cope with the difficult star of his film, Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock). Meanwhile, leading man Guy Dexter (Dominic West) charms Downton's butler, Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), and offers him a chance at love and the kind of life he never dreamed he could have at Downton Abbey. And finally, Lady Violet succumbs to the illness she was diagnosed with in Downton Abbey 2019 and passes away.
It's clear from watching A New Era that the Downton Abbey sequel has not missed a beat, even after a few years in between films. Downton Abbey's cast, most of whom have played their characters for a decade, easily slip into their roles and their classic chemistry. The quality and charm of Downton Abbey that turned the series (and film franchise) into a global phenomenon are fully intact thanks to Fellowes' savvy writing and Curtis' smart direction. Yet Downton Abbey: A New Era, which is now streaming on Peacock, only grossed less than half of Downton Abbey 2019 in ticket sales, and this, unfortunately, puts the potential of a third Downton Abbey movie in jeopardy.
Why A New Era Made Much Less At The Box Office Than Downton Abbey 2019
Downton Abbey: A New Era grossed $ 89 million worldwide, less than half of Downton Abbey 2019's $194-million take, which made it one of Focus Features' highest-grossing films. The biggest factor in Downton Abbey: A New Era's disappointing box office returns is obviously the pandemic, which has drastically changed the habits of moviegoers. While movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Top Gun: Maverick have grossed $ 1 billion at the box office, those are also event movies that benefit from a theatrical experience. Spider-Man and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which earned $ 946 million worldwide, also carry the Marvel Studios pedigree, while Top Gun: Maverick is Tom Cruise's sequel 36 years in the making that benefited from wildly positive word-of-mouth.
However, Downton Abbey: A New Era, which skews towards older audiences extremely wary of going to the movies because of COVID-19, isn't necessarily a film that demands it be seen in a movie theater. Further, the first Downton Abbey film, released in the pre-pandemic world of 2019, was touted as a major event after the Downton Abbey TV series ended in 2015 in the UK and 2016 in the United States. A big-screen reunion with the Crawleys and their servants seemed more special in 2019, and the same type of hype and anticipation was harder to come by for Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Finally, audiences have quickly grown accustomed to how rapidly movie distribution has changed because of the pandemic. Rather than waiting 3-4 months or more to watch a movie at home after it's left theaters, most films are now available to stream within roughly 45 days. This is the case with Downton Abbey: A New Era, which is now available to stream on Peacock as of June 24, 2022, only 34 days after its May 20th theatrical release in the US (which put Downton in direct competition with Top Gun: Maverick). The quick turnaround to streaming on Peacock also curtailed Downton Abbey: A New Era's box office performance.
Why Downton Abbey: A New Era Is An Even Better Film Than Downton Abbey 2019
Audiences and critics agree that Downton Abbey: A New Era is an even better film than its predecessor (albeit barely, according to the numbers): 2019's Downton boasts an 84% Fresh critics score and a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes while A New Era tops it with an 86% Fresh critics and a whopping 97% audience score! Downton Abbey 2019 was a gloriously fun romp with the Crawleys, who hosted a royal visit from the King and Queen, but Downton Abbey: A New Era exceeded the prior film in nearly every respect. A New Era stunningly opened up Downton's world. By bringing the Crawleys to the South of France, Downton Abbey's elegance became even more visually sumptuous, while the movie-within-the-movie shot at Downton brought an irresistible dose of Hollywood glamour to the Crawleys' ancient home thanks to guest stars Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, and Dominic West.
The sequel also made far better use of Downton Abbey's massive cast of beloved characters; although some, like Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) and John Bates (Brendan Coyle), didn't have much to do in the grand scheme of things, nearly everyone else got to have major moments to shine. A New Era gave Lord Grantham his best storyline in years as he coped with an existential crisis and both Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern as Cora delivered powerful and emotionally resonant performances. A New Era paid off long-running stories involving Barrow, Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle), and Mrs. Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) finding happiness at long last. Best of all, A New Era said goodbye to Lady Violet in a touching way, allowing Maggie Smith to take her final bow while cementing the eternal importance of the Dowager Countess to Downton Abbey. A New Era was filled with laughter, tears, joy, and splendor as it moved the Downton Abbey saga forward, ready to embrace the future.
What A New Era's Box Office Means For Downton Abbey 3
The big question left by Downton Abbey: A New Era's disappointing box office is whether or not another sequel will be greenlit, because it's completely up in the air. Downton Abbey 2019 was a box office smash and left audiences clamoring for more, but the response in both respects to A New Era is less assured. It's difficult to gauge Peacock streaming performance but how many views A New Era garners will no doubt factor into whether another Downton Abbey film gets made. Thankfully, the cast indicated they would be glad to reunite for a third film.
However, Julian Fellowes is non-commital and cited that he would make another Downton Abbey movie if the audience demands it, but he also seems content to say goodbye to the Crawleys and concentrate on his other projects, like The Gilded Age on HBO. Box office underperformance aside, if Downton Abbey: A New Era is the last time audiences get to see the Crawleys and their servants, it is still a wonderful sendoff that perfectly caps the decade-long Downton Abbey saga. But the Crawleys have survived a world war, a pandemic, tragic family deaths, and their TV series' cancelation, so it would be wise not to bet against them coming back one more time for Downton Abbey 3.