Why the 2013 sequel to The Smurfs struggled to replicate its predecessor's box office success

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Released in 2013, The Smurfs 2 followed a familiar formula but failed to match the financial performance of the original film. Despite a global gross of over $347 million, the sequel was viewed as a disappointment by Sony, leading to the cancellation of a planned third installment in favor of a reboot.

Directed by Raja Gosnell, the 2013 sequel brought back the core cast, including Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria, while introducing new characters like the Naughties, Vexy and Hackus. The plot follows the evil wizard Gargamel as he attempts to kidnap Smurfette to extract her essence, forcing the Smurfs to team up with their human allies in Paris. Despite the high-profile production, the film faced a lukewarm reception from critics, who largely dismissed it as an uninspired collection of slapstick humor.

Financially, the film earned $347.5 million worldwide against a production budget of $105 million. While these figures might appear robust, the performance fell significantly short of the first film's results, trailing it by roughly $200 million. Sony executives attributed the underwhelming turnout to a crowded market of PG-rated films and the lingering impact of the original's negative critical reviews. Although viewers surveyed by CinemaScore provided a generally positive A- grade, the studio opted to pivot away from the live-action hybrid format.

The failure to meet expectations had immediate consequences for the franchise's trajectory. A third film had been in development as early as 2012, with scripts being drafted shortly after the sequel's production announcement. However, by March 2014, those plans were officially scrapped. Instead, the studio moved toward a fully animated reboot, Smurfs: The Lost Village, which debuted in 2017. This shift marked the end of the hybrid series, which had also served as the final project for actor Jonathan Winters, who voiced Papa Smurf.

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