The John Gulager-directed follow-up to 2010’s Piranha 3D was originally scheduled to open in November until Dimension Films yanked it from the 2011 release line-up. In the UK, it appears it is going to bypass theaters completely and head direct-to-DVD.
According to the British Video Association website, Piranha 3DD will debut on DVD March 19. If you look at the site’s listing, you’ll see under the heading “Theatrical Release (3D)” it was “pulled from schedule.” BVA also hosts the following synopsis for the film…
Horror sequel in which a species of violent prehistoric piranha continue to terrify a small town. The chaos unleashed in ‘Piranha’ (2010) by a group of the omnivorous fish, set free by an earthquake that split the floor of a lake, may only have been the beginning. The tests of marine biologist Carl Goodman (Christopher Lloyd) indicate that these fish were only adolescents, suggesting their parents would be even fiercer adversaries. When the piranha make their way into the town’s plumbing system, the terror spreads. Soon swimming pools and even the town’s brand new waterpark are infested by the bloodthirsty critters. Can the town’s residents, marshalled by survivor of the first movie Deputy Fallon (Ving Rhames), find a way to combat their sharp-teethed tormentors?
The questions now are…is it going to be released in 3D on UK DVD? Also, if it is going direct-to-DVD in the UK, will a U.S. release follow the same plan? After all, Piranha 3DD, at the time of this writing, still doesn’t have a U.S. release date. Dimension Films made a big splash at the Spike Awards back in October with a trailer implying that a wide run in theaters was coming, but you never know with that company. I suppose it depends, too, on the contractual obligations that promised to the talent involved and whether it was guaranteed Piranha 3DD would go theatrical.
Update! Co-writer Patrick Melton tells us that test screenings for the film have been terrific and Dimension is look at a spring U.S. release for the film.
