“Meet the Parents” was a comedy box office smash hit for Universal in 2000, earning $166 million in North America. A highly anticipated sequel was released four years later, 2004’s “Meet the Fockers”, which grossed $279 million. It’s still the studio’s sixth highest grossing non-“Jurassic” and non-Illumination movie of at least the past 30 years. Fans had to wait exactly six more years for a third chapter, 2010’s “Little Fockers”, which underwhelmed with a $148 million cume.
And now… 16 years later… Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner and Owen Wilson are back for “Focker-In-Law”, which opens this Thanksgiving. The “In-Law” part of the title refers to the newest member of the family, played by Ariana Grande. It’s the third Thanksgiving Universal release in a row featuring Grande, following 2024’s “Wicked” and 2025’s not-as-successful (and not as good) “Wicked: For Good”. UNI certainly hopes that the legacy of this franchise and Grande’s fanbase help make this a holiday season hit.
There’s some competition from moviegoers of all ages. You have families that will be seeing Disney’s animated “Hexed” and WB’s “The Cat in the Hat”. Teens and twenty somethings will be going to “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping”. And older crowds are starting to get into the awards season films, from “I Play Rocky” and “Paper Tiger” to “Elsinore” and “Wild Horse Nine”, as well as Angel Studios’ true story “Hershey” drama and “Godzilla Minus Zero”. And I don’t think Johnny Depp’s “Ebenezer” is gonna flop.
But even if “Focker-In-Law” isn’t a gigantic hit over the Thanksgiving stretch, it does have until the weekend of Dec. 18 to make-up some ground. That’s when the doubleheader of “Dune: Part Three” and “Avengers: Doomsday” emerges. Third installments in the “Jumanji” and “Angry Birds” franchises come out just a few days later for Christmas. Theaters will be busy now through New Year’s — and into the first part of 2027. “Focker-In-Law” is simply hoping to feel relevant in a crowded marketplace.