# Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation
**Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation** is a 2018 American animated comedy directed by [Genndy Tartakovsky](https://www.edgepedia.org/genndy-tartakovsky), in which [Count Dracula](https://www.edgepedia.org/count-dracula) and his monster family take a vacation aboard a luxury monster cruise ship and Dracula falls for the ship's human captain, Ericka, who hides a dangerous secret.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/) It is the third film in the [Hotel Transylvania](https://www.edgepedia.org/hotel-transylvania) series from Sony Pictures Animation, following *Hotel Transylvania* (2012) and *Hotel Transylvania 2* (2015).[2](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hoteltransylvania3)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | July 13, 2018; rated PG; running time 1 hour 37 minutes[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5220122/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hotel_transylvania_3_summer_vacation) |
| Director and writers | Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky; written by Tartakovsky and Michael McCullers; produced by Michelle Murdocca[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/) |
| Main cast | Adam Sandler (Dracula), Andy Samberg (Johnny), Selena Gomez (Mavis), Kathryn Hahn (Ericka), Jim Gaffigan (Van Helsing), Mel Brooks (Vlad)[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/) |
| Box office | $541,504,608 worldwide on an $80,000,000 budget, including a $44,076,225 domestic opening[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5220122/) |
| Critical reception | Metascore 54 (mixed or average) from 23 critics; 63% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and 49% from audiences[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hotel_transylvania_3_summer_vacation) |
| Franchise standing | The series' highest-grossing entry at the time, after the first film's $355 million and the second's $475 million worldwide[5](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/hotel-transylvania-5-release-date-sony/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Because her dad is worn out from arranging everyone else's getaways at the hotel, Mavis books him a surprise trip aboard a posh monster cruise liner for the whole family.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/) The rest of Drac's Pack comes along, and once the ship leaves port, romance "zings" Dracula when he meets the mysterious ship captain Ericka.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/) Mavis then takes a turn playing the overprotective parent.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/) According to Sony's synopsis, the dream vacation takes a dangerous turn when Mavis realizes Drac has fallen for the human captain, who holds a mysterious secret that threatens them all.[2](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hoteltransylvania3) [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo)'s summary identifies that secret: the boat is being commandeered by the monster-hating Van Helsing family.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5220122/)
### Place in the franchise
The film became the highest-grossing entry of the series to that point, exceeding the first film's $355 million and the second film's $475 million worldwide.[5](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/hotel-transylvania-5-release-date-sony/) The franchise as a whole has earned $1.38 billion.[5](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/hotel-transylvania-5-release-date-sony/) A tie-in video game, *Hotel Transylvania 3: Monsters Overboard*, was released on July 13, 2018 for [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4), [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one), Switch, and PC, continuing the film's story with the characters washed up on the Lost Islands.[12](https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/hotel-transylvania/hotel-transylvania-3-monsters-overboard) Although the fourth film, *Hotel Transylvania: Transformania* (2022), was originally intended to end the franchise, [Sony Pictures Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures-animation) and Amazon MGM Studios announced a fifth film, *The Haunting of Hotel Transylvania*, for theatrical release on October 8, 2027, directed by Jennifer Kluska and Alan Hawkins.[5](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/hotel-transylvania-5-release-date-sony/)
## Production
**Tartakovsky's return.** After directing the first two films, Tartakovsky said he was done with the franchise and went on to write and direct the fifth season of *Samurai Jack* for Cartoon Network, which aired in 2017.[6](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/cruise-control-genndy-tartakovsky-takes-helm-hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation) He reconsidered when Sony Pictures Animation supported his original story idea, and the idea of a cruise itself: he had been on a big family cruise and found the setting felt natural for the characters, and he had long wanted to tell a Dracula falling-in-love story.[6](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/cruise-control-genndy-tartakovsky-takes-helm-hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation)
**Writing and creative control.** Hotel Transylvania 3 was the first film in the series on which Tartakovsky, the director of all three entries up to that point, had free rein to create a movie from the ground up, from story to gags to design.[7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/bringing-cartoons-back-hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation) He co-wrote the script with Michael McCullers, something he had not done on the first two films, and wrote it to spotlight the animation with more physical gags; [Adam Sandler](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-sandler) was busier than on the earlier films and less involved.[6](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/cruise-control-genndy-tartakovsky-takes-helm-hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation)
**Visual style.** Tartakovsky brought in his longtime collaborator Scott Wills as production designer, a partnership going back more than 20 years to projects including *Samurai Jack*, *Star Wars: Clone Wars*, and *Sym-Bionic Titan*.[6](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/cruise-control-genndy-tartakovsky-takes-helm-hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation) • [7](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/bringing-cartoons-back-hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation) He used the film to focus production resources on a more physical, cartoony style of animation, with dancing and swimming sequences replacing dialogue-heavy scenes so the animation could shine; he described the film as the kind of broad animated comedy many big studios had moved away from.[6](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/cruise-control-genndy-tartakovsky-takes-helm-hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation) • [8](https://www.awn.com/sites/default/files/attached/1046549-animationworld-magazine-june-2018.pdf)
**Development timeline.** In November 2015, Sony Pictures Animation announced the third film, under the tentative title *Hotel Transylvania 3*, set for release on September 21, 2018; the film ultimately opened on July 13, 2018.[9](https://audio.afterbuzztv.com/media/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MTN/HT3.pdf) • [10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTTqDcn2_dg)
## Cast
Adam Sandler voices Dracula, Andy Samberg voices Johnny, and [Selena Gomez](https://www.edgepedia.org/selena-gomez) voices Mavis, with [Kevin James](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-james) as [Frankenstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/frankenstein), Steve Buscemi as Wayne, Molly Shannon as Wanda, David Spade as Griffin, Keegan-Michael Key as Murray, Fran Drescher as Eunice, and Mel Brooks as Vlad.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTTqDcn2_dg) New cast members include Kathryn Hahn as Ericka and Jim Gaffigan as Van Helsing; Joe Jonas voices the Kraken.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/)
## Reception
**Box office.** The film earned $167,510,016 domestically (30.9% of its total) and $373,994,592 internationally, for a worldwide total of $541,504,608 against an $80,000,000 budget.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5220122/) Its earliest release was June 28, 2018 in Australia.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5220122/) A 2021 re-release in APAC and EMEA territories added $12,920,834.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5220122/) The Los Angeles Times reported an A- CinemaScore as the film led family audiences to the summer box office.[11](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-box-office-skyscraper-hotel-transylvania3-20180715-story.html)
**Critical response.** The film received a Metascore of 54, categorized as mixed or average, from 23 critic reviews, with 7 positive, 13 mixed, and 3 negative; the user score was 6.3 from 225 ratings.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/) On Rotten Tomatoes it holds 63% on the Tomatometer from 118 reviews and 49% on the Popcornmeter.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hotel_transylvania_3_summer_vacation) The critics consensus describes it as delivering exactly what fans will expect, another 97 minutes of fast-paced gags and colorful animation.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hotel_transylvania_3_summer_vacation) IndieWire's Jamie Righetti gave the most positive review on Metacritic at 91, praising the laughs, the animation, and the franchise's signature dance sequences.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/) [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club)'s Jesse Hassenger called it easily the best film of the series and noted it felt more at home thematically on a cruise ship than its predecessors did at a haunted Transylvanian castle.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/) The Chicago Tribune credited keeping Tartakovsky as director across all three films with creating a fluid sense of comedy and look.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/)
## References
1. [Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/)
2. [HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/hoteltransylvania3)
3. [Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5220122/)
4. [Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hotel_transylvania_3_summer_vacation)
5. ['The Haunting of Hotel Transylvania' to Hit Theaters in 2027 as Sony Revs Up New Sequel, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/hotel-transylvania-5-release-date-sony/)
6. [Cruise Control: Genndy Tartakovsky Takes the Helm of 'Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation', Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/cruise-control-genndy-tartakovsky-takes-helm-hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation)
7. [Bringing Cartoons Back for 'Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation', Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/animationworld/bringing-cartoons-back-hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation)
8. [Hotel Transylvania 3, Animation World Magazine, June 2018](https://www.awn.com/sites/default/files/attached/1046549-animationworld-magazine-june-2018.pdf)
9. [Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018), AfterBuzz TV movie notes](https://audio.afterbuzztv.com/media/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MTN/HT3.pdf)
10. [HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION | Official Trailer, Sony Pictures Animation on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTTqDcn2_dg)
11. ['Skyscraper' collapses as 'Hotel Transylvania 3' lures family audiences to summer box office, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-box-office-skyscraper-hotel-transylvania3-20180715-story.html)
12. [HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: MONSTERS OVERBOARD, Bandai Namco Entertainment](https://en.bandainamcoent.eu/hotel-transylvania/hotel-transylvania-3-monsters-overboard)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Animated and family franchise film entries › Mystery and horror entries*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license