So we are, in fact, getting a third
Smurfs movie -- only this time without the presence of a real-world or humans. Yes,
Smurfs 3 will be entirely animated, presumably so no locations need to be used or paying named actors.
Sony is fast-tracking its third “Smurfs” installment, which will be entirely animated (its predecessors were live action/animated hybrids). The second installment, released last July, did approximately $215 million less business worldwide than the 2011 original ($347.5 million vs. $563.7 million). Both leaned heavily on the foreign box office, which contributed more than 70% of each film’s global box office take.
Source: Variety