Just like the first movie did, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions ends on a cliffhanger that sets up the return of Minos in Escape Room 3. Here's everything we know so far about the story, cast, and possible release date for the third movie in this puzzle-driven horror franchise.
Escape Room director Adam Robitel returned to helm Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, in which Zoey and Ben find themselves once again ensnared by the sinister Minos Corporation. While searching for evidence to prove that Minos was responsible for the deaths of the first game's players, the two survivors become trapped in a new series of escape rooms. They're joined by other "champions" of previous Minos escape rooms, played by Holland Roden, Indya Moore, Carlito Olivero and Thomas Cocquerel - and there's a surprise character return from the first Escape Room movie as well.
Sony Pictures has yet to officially announce Escape Room 3, but between the cliffhanger at the end of Tournament of Champions and a decent start at the box office, odds of a threequel being green lit are good. Here's everything we know so far about Escape Room 3.
Last updated: July 17th 2021
Will Escape Room 3 Happen?
Escape Room 3 hasn't been officially confirmed yet. Asked whether he plans to make a trilogy in an interview with Nightmarish Conjurings, director Adam Robitel replied, "We’ll see! I always say, let’s see if there’s a desire for it. It all comes down to bucks as they say." Escape Room: Tournament of Champions had a production budget of $15 million, and is expected to gross $7-8 million in its opening weekend. If it performs in line with the first Escape Room (which grossed $155.7 million worldwide), chances of Escape Room 3 happening are good. When Escape Room: Tournament of Champions' planned April 2020 release date was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sony pushed the release back for more than a year rather than moving it to a streaming service or releasing it on VOD. This suggests that the studio has faith in the Escape Room franchise's potential as a reliable box office draw.
Escape Room 3 Release Date
No release date has yet been announced for Escape Room 3. Before being delayed by the pandemic, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions was planned for a release around 16 months after the first movie. This means that if Escape Room 3 is green lit soon, it could go into production this year for a release in the latter half of 2022.
Escape Room 3 Cast
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Escape Room: Tournament of Champions.
At the end of the second round of Minos escape rooms, the four new players that Zoey and Ben meet - Rachel, Brianna, Nathan and Theo - have all been killed in one way or another by the traps... or have they? The surprise return of Deborah Ann Woll as Amanda, who supposedly plunged to her death in the first Escape Room movie, emphasizes that any death that goes unseen may not have actually happened. Since the Escape Room movies are PG-13, the deaths are not particularly gory and some leave the door open for a possible return.
The ending of Escape Room: Tournament of Champions sets up Taylor Russell and Logan Miller to reprise their roles as Zoey and Ben in Escape Room 3. Woll's character is also still alive and being forced to work for Minos, who have kidnapped her daughter. Thomas Cocquerel, who plays Nathan, could potentially return, since it was revealed that the quicksand trap isn't necessarily deadly. And while Brianna and Rachel appeared to have been melted by the acid rain trap, that could also have been a trick by Minos. Amanda's return has effectively opened up the possibility of almost any cast members coming back in a future sequel.
Escape Room 3 Story Details
Just when it seems like Zoey and Ben have successfully defeated Minos by providing proof of their murderous escape rooms, it's revealed that they've been tricked by Minos once again. Their time in the police station and the news report that they watched were both manufactured by Minos to make them think they'd won, and when they board a plane to fly home to Chicago, it's revealed that the plane has been rigged by Minos. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions ends with the plane starting to crash, linking it to the ending of the first movie, which showed Minos developers fine-tuning their airplane trap.
Escape Room 3's story has been set up to continue Zoey and Ben's efforts to escape and take down Minos, but the traps themselves have also been set up to be even weirder and more elaborate. Tournament of Champions presented the idea that anything from a subway car to a plane could be a cleverly disguised escape room, meaning that Escape Room 3 could make its puzzles and sets even bigger and more complex than anything in the first two movies.