The release of Mary Poppins Returns helped Disney set a surprising sequel record. Walt Disney Studios helped bring P.L. Travers's popular book series to life on the big screen all the way back in 1964. The movie starred Julie Andrews as the titular Mary Poppins, a magical nanny who helps improve the lives of the Banks family. Mary Poppins was a big hit for Disney but the studio never figured out how to keep the franchise going, despite Travers already publishing four sequels by then.
Disney's continued interest in Mary Poppins eventually collided with the studio almost solely focusing on making sequels, reboots, remakes, or other franchise films. The development process led to Disney pitching director Rob Marshall on Mary Poppins Returns in 2015. The film began to move forward and eventually found Emily Blunt to play Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins Returns was then released in theaters right before Christmas in 2018. With that release, Disney managed to set a brand new record.
Mary Poppins Returns' release in 2018 resulted in the sequel arriving over 54 years after the original Mary Poppins was released. As it turns out, that is a record for a live-action movie sequel. The record is one that has been set and broken several times in recent years. The Godfather: Part III held the record at 16 years for quite some time. But, Disney set the record in 2010 with TRON: Legacy arriving 28 years after the original. Mad Max: Fury Road then claimed the title in 2015 after being released 29 years after Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Right before Mary Poppins Returns, it was Blade Runner 2049's release in 2017 that set a record as it arrived 35 years after Ridley Scott's original Blade Runner.
Although long-awaited sequels have an uneven track record, Mary Poppins Returns managed to be quite the hit. The film received largely positive reviews, with Emily Blunt's performance, in particular, being praised. Blunt was nominated for a Golden Globe for her turn as Mary Poppins, and the sequel received four Oscar nominations as a whole, including Best Original Song. Furthermore, Mary Poppins Returns made nearly $350 million worldwide. 54 years was a long time to wait for another Mary Poppins film, but at least in this case it lived up to expectations.
Disney likely won't come anywhere close to topping Mary Poppins Returns' record when it comes to making a third Mary Poppins film. It wasn't long after the release of Mary Poppins Returns that it was revealed Mary Poppins 3 is in the works. Rob Marshall confirmed he's working on another film and the plan is for Blunt to reprise her role as Mary Poppins. There hasn't been much of an update on the status of Mary Poppins 3 since, but it won't break this record unless it doesn't come out until 2073.