Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ol Parker
Screenplay by	Ol Parker
Story by	Catherine Johnson Richard Curtis Ol Parker
Based on	Mamma Mia! by Catherine Johnson
Produced by	Judy Craymer Gary Goetzman
Starring	Christine Baranski Pierce Brosnan Dominic Cooper Colin Firth Andy Garcia Lily James Amanda Seyfried Stellan Skarsgård Julie Walters Cher Meryl Streep
Cinematography	Robert Yeoman
Edited by	Peter Lambert
Music by	Björn Ulvaeus Benny Andersson Stig Anderson
Production companies	Playtone Littlestar Productions Legendary Pictures Perfect World Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	July 16, 2018 (Hammersmith Apollo) July 20, 2018 (United Kingdom & United States)
Running time	114 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$75 million
Box office	$402.3 million

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a 2018 jukebox musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Ol Parker, from a story by Parker, Catherine Johnson, and Richard Curtis. It is a follow-up to the 2008 film Mamma Mia!, which in turn is based on the musical of the same name using the music of ABBA. The film features an ensemble cast, including Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Jeremy Irvine, Josh Dylan, Hugh Skinner, Lily James, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Alexa Davies, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Andy García, Meryl Streep, and Cher. Both a prequel and a sequel, the plot is set after the events of the previous film, and is intersected with flashbacks to Donna's youth in 1979, with some scenes from the two time periods mirroring each other.

Due to the financial success of the first film, Universal Pictures had long been interested in a sequel. The film was officially announced in May 2017, with Parker hired to write and direct. In June 2017, many of the original cast confirmed their involvement, with James being cast in the role of Young Donna that July. Filming took place from August to December 2017 in Croatia (most prominently Vis), Bordeaux, Stockholm, Oxford, Hampton and at Shepperton Studios. A British and American joint venture, the film was co-produced by Playtone, Littlestar Productions and Legendary Entertainment.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was premiered at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on July 16, 2018, and was released in the United Kingdom and the United States on July 20, 2018, ten years to the week after its predecessor's release, in both standard and IMAX formats. The film was a box office success, grossing $402 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews, as an improvement over its predecessor with critics praising the performances and musical numbers.

https://youtu.be/B4F4Zb1HiZU

The film is dedicated to the memory of production designer Alan Macdonald.

Cast

Left to right: Alexa Davies, Lily James, Jessica Keenan Wynn, on MTV International in 2018

Left to right: Hugh Skinner, Jeremy Irvine, Josh Dylan, on MTV International in 2018

• Amanda Seyfried as Sophie Sheridan, Donna's daughter, Ruby's granddaughter, Sam's stepdaughter, Sky's wife, and Donny's mother.
• Meryl Streep as Donna Sheridan-Carmichael, founder of Donna and the Dynamos, Sophie's late mother, Ruby's late daughter, Sam's late wife, Sky's mother-in-law, Donny's grandmother and best friend of Tanya & Rosie.
  • Lily James as Young Donna.
• Dominic Cooper as Sky, Sophie's husband, Donna and Sam's son-in-law, and Donny's father.
• Christine Baranski as Tanya Chesham-Leigh, one of Donna's best friends and former bandmates in Donna and the Dynamos; a rich three-time divorcee.
  • Jessica Keenan Wynn as Young Tanya.
• Julie Walters as Rosie Mulligan, one of Donna's best friends and former bandmates in Donna and the Dynamos; a fun-loving author in a relationship with Bill.
  • Alexa Davies as Young Rosie.
• Pierce Brosnan as Sam Carmichael, an architect, Sophie's stepfather, Ruby's son-in-law, Sky's father-in-law, Donna's widower, and Donny's grandfather.
  • Jeremy Irvine as Young Sam.
• Colin Firth as Harry Bright, a British businessman.
  • Hugh Skinner as Young Harry.
• Stellan Skarsgård as Bill Anderson, a Swedish sailor and travel writer, Sofia's great-nephew and Lazaros's cousin. Skarsgard also plays Kurt Anderson, Bill's obese twin brother.
  • Josh Dylan as Young Bill.
• Andy García as Señor Fernando Cienfuegos, the Mexican manager of the Hotel Bella Donna, old lover of Ruby's from 1959.
• Cher as Ruby Sheridan, Donna's mother, Sophie's grandmother, Donny's great-grandmother, and Sam's mother-in-law.
• Maria Vacratsis as Sofia, Bill's great aunt, Lazaros's mother, and Sophie's namesake, a local who owns the shack in which Donna and Sam stay and which eventually becomes Donna's home.
• Panos Mouzourakis as Lazaros, Sofia's son
• Celia Imrie as the vice-chancellor of the university at which Donna, Tanya, and Rosie studied.
• Omid Djalili as a Greek customs officer.
• Gerard Monaco as Alexio
• Togo Igawa as Mr. Tatyama
• Naoko Mori as Yumiko
• Anastasia Hille as Dr. Inge Horvath

Cameo appearances

• Björn Ulvaeus as a university professor.
• Benny Andersson as the pianist in the Parisian restaurant during "Waterloo".
• Jonathan Goldsmith as Don Rafael Cienfuegos, brother of Fernando Cienfuegos.

Musical numbers

A soundtrack album was released on July 13, 2018 by Capitol and Polydor Records in the United States and internationally, respectively. The album was produced by Benny Andersson, who also served as the album's executive producer alongside Björn Ulvaeus and Judy Craymer. Each song is featured within the film, with the exception of "I Wonder (Departure)" and "The Day Before You Came".

• ^† Songs featured on the soundtrack album but omitted from the film.

Additionally, short and instrumental versions of other ABBA songs were included in the movie, but omitted from the soundtrack. These are in chronological order

Production

Development

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was announced on May 19, 2017, with a release date of July 20, 2018. It was written and directed by Ol Parker. On September 27, 2017, Benny Andersson confirmed 3 ABBA songs that would be featured in the film: "When I Kissed the Teacher," "I Wonder (Departure)," and "Angeleyes." "I Wonder (Departure)" was cut from the film, but is included on the soundtrack album.

Casting

On June 1, 2017, it was announced that Seyfried would return as Sophie. Later that month, Dominic Cooper confirmed that he would return for the sequel, along with Streep, Firth and Brosnan as Sky, Donna, Harry, and Sam, respectively. In July 2017, Baranski was also confirmed to return as Tanya. On July 12, 2017, Lily James was cast to play the role of young Donna. On August 3, 2017, Jeremy Irvine and Alexa Davies were also cast in the film, with Irvine playing Brosnan's character Sam in a past era, and Hugh Skinner to play Young Harry, Davies as a young Rosie, played by Julie Walters. On August 16, 2017, it was announced that Jessica Keenan Wynn had been cast as a young Tanya, who is played by Baranski. Julie Walters and Stellan Skarsgård also reprised their roles as Rosie and Bill, respectively. On October 16, 2017, it was announced that singer and actress Cher had joined the cast, in her first on-screen film role since 2010. The part was written specifically for Cher, and she got to choose Andy García as her romantic partner.

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on August 12, 2017 in Croatia, including the island of Vis. In October 2017, the cast gathered at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England, to film song and dance numbers with Cher. Filming wrapped on December 2, 2017.

https://youtu.be/8RpZwSzNNnY

Release

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was released on July 20, 2018 by Universal Pictures, in the UK, US and other selected countries in both standard and IMAX formats. The film premiered on July 16, 2018 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.

Marketing

The first trailer for the film was released on December 21, 2017, in front of Pitch Perfect 3, another Universal Pictures film. Cher performed "Fernando" at the Las Vegas CinemaCon on April 25, 2018, after footage of the film was shown. Universal sponsored YouTube stars the Merrell Twins to perform a cover version of the song "Mamma Mia" to promote the film.

https://youtu.be/gXmaZCm7fqs

Home media

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was released via digital copy on October 9, 2018 and released on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD Combo Pack on October 23, 2018. The film debuted at the top of the NPD VideoScan First Alert chart for the week ending on October 27, 2018. It retained the top spot on the chart for the week ending on November 3, 2018.

Reception

Box office

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again grossed $120.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $281.6 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $402.3 million, against a production budget of $75 million.

In June 2018, three weeks prior to its release, official industry tracking had the film debuting to $27–33 million, which increased to as much as $36 million by the week of its release. It made $14.3 million on its first day, including $3.4 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $35 million, finishing second, behind fellow newcomer The Equalizer 2 ($36 million), and besting the opening of the first film ($27.8 million) by over 24%. It fell 57% to $15.1 million in its second weekend, finishing second behind newcomer Mission: Impossible – Fallout. In its third weekend the film grossed $9 million, dropping to fourth place, and $5.8 million in its fourth weekend, finishing seventh.

In the United Kingdom, the film grossed $12.7 million in its opening weekend, topping the box office and achieving the fourth biggest opening for a film in 2018. In its second weekend of international release, the film made $26.6 million (for a running total of $98.6 million). Its largest new markets were France ($1.7 million), Poland ($1.3 million), Switzerland ($223,000) and Croatia ($151,000), while its best holdovers were Australia ($9.5 million), the UK ($8.6 million) and Germany ($8.2 million). In the United Kingdom, the film was the second highest-grossing film of 2018, following Avengers: Infinity War.

Critical response

Lily James' performance as Young Donna was praised by critics as a "breakout" role.

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 278 reviews, and an average of 6.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again doubles down on just about everything fans loved about the original—and my my, how can fans resist it?" On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100 based on 46 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, the same score as its predecessor, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 83% overall positive score.

https://youtu.be/nR5UCWjBFGg

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian termed the sequel as "weirdly irresistible" and gave it three out of five stars. He described his reaction to the first film as "a combination of hives and bubonic plague," but concedes that this time, the relentlessness and greater self-aware comedy made him smile. He concludes: "More enjoyable than I thought. But please. Enough now." Mark Kermode of The Observer gave the film five stars and commented, "This slick sequel delivers sharp one-liners, joyously contrived plot twists and an emotional punch that left our critic reeling."

https://youtu.be/Q-XmH5T6Lrw

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone awarded the film two and a half stars out of five, noting the absence of Streep for the majority of the film hindered his enjoyment, and saying, "her absence is deeply felt since the three-time Oscar winner sang and danced her heart out as Donna Sheridan". Lindsay Bahr of Associated Press awarded the film three out of four stars, calling it "wholly ridiculous", but complimenting its self-awareness. She also praised James' performance and singing talent. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the sequel a mixed review, awarding it two stars out of four, criticizing the reprises of "Dancing Queen" and "Super Trouper" as uninspired, and feeling that some of the musical numbers dragged the pacing. He considered the younger counterparts to the main characters "energetic" and "likeable." Stephanie Zacharek of Time gave the film a mixed review, writing "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is atrocious. And wonderful. It's all the reasons you should never go to the movies. And all the reasons you should race to get a ticket."

Sequel

In June 2020, Judy Craymer announced that a third film is in development, with the producer confirming that some of the new ABBA songs written for the band's reunion could feature in the soundtrack, although stating that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays with development of the project.

Accolades

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