Next 'Downton Abbey' Film To Hit Theaters in 2025

The problem with writing about the forthcoming third Downton Abbey movie is that there's not much to write about. The newest installment of what has become a surprisingly long-lived feature film series since the first Downton Abbey movie was a blockbuster in 2019 began filming in the waning days of June 2024, and with that announcement came a key confirmation that fans had been seeking: a release date. However, those who were hoping for a quick turnaround will be disappointed, as the save-the-date cards for the third installment are for 2025.

It may not feel like it, but this is good news because it shows that the Downton Abbey team learned its lesson after the second film. As fans may recall, Downton Abbey: The Sequel (which eventually became Downton Abbey: A New Era) announced filming was underway literally the exact same week as this one in 2021 and followed it very quickly with a planned holiday-timed December release date for the same year. That December release date then became a February release date... and then moved again, finally landing at the end of May 2022. Part of this was due to the pandemic, but just as much to the realities of film-making. The upshot was that simply not as many people came out in May to see the sequel as did the first one, which bowed the second weekend of September 2019.

Focus Features is, therefore, making the obvious course correction. Downton Abbey 3 will arrive on the second week of September 2025. Yes, it's a long time to wait, but this way, it's in the right place from the jump. Mark your date books.