$260 million domestic gross for How the Grinch Stole Christmas underpins Universal and Imagine Entertainment's development of an untitled sequel, with Jim Carrey in talks to reprise the Grinch this week. Ron Howard is expected to return to direct and will produce alongside Brian Grazer.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas $345 million
$345 million worldwide was the 2000 film's global finish after it became the top domestic movie of its year, and the picture won the best makeup Oscar for Rick Baker and Gail Rowell-Ryan. That awards pedigree and the original film's box-office profile are the commercial baseline the studios are banking on as they reopen the property for a follow-up.
Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and David Mandel
Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and David Mandel are writing the untitled sequel and previously collaborated on The Cat in the Hat; Ron Howard will produce with Brian Grazer while Susan Brandt will oversee the project for Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Britt Hennemuth and Christina Hoffrogge will oversee it for Universal. How the Grinch Stole Christmas has remained a streaming asset: it has ranked among Nielsen’s top 10 most streamed holiday movies in each of the past five years and last year peaked at No. 2 overall on the movies chart with 962 million minutes viewed in the two weeks surrounding Christmas, a signal the sequel will enter a built-in seasonal window.
The makeup process took eight hours a day
The makeup process for Jim Carrey in the 2000 film took around eight hours a day, a practical production constraint producers will weigh in scheduling and budgeting. Carrey later said he wanted to quit on day one of production and return his $20 million fee; he recalled, "He got through it with the help of a man who trained CIA agents to withstand torture, and thanks to the makeup eventually being reduced to three hours a day." That history gives the sequel two operational considerations: whether Carrey will accept comparable transformation time and how much preproduction will need to be allocated to makeup tests and prosthetic workflows.
Universal and Imagine Entertainment are developing the sequel with Ron Howard attached to direct and produce, Jim Carrey in talks to return as the Grinch, and a writing team already in place; the immediate next step for the project is reaching a deal with Carrey and formalizing a production schedule around the cast and prosthetic timeline. Because Carrey is only in talks rather than signed, the project still requires that agreement before moving into casting and a full production timetable.
Given the returning creative team, the film's status as 2000's top domestic release and its multiyear Nielsen streaming strength, Jim Carrey is likely to sign on to play the Grinch.
