The newest season of South Park has found an unprecedented level of success for the decades-old show, and this recent boost comes at the perfect time for an upcoming 2026 film. Season 27 of South Park has taken risks, and each one has paid off, bringing the show some of the strongest viewership it has yet experienced.
Between the first episodes of the new season, South Park has set viewership records across Comedy Central and Paramount+. Mercilessly skewering the political state of America, the latest season of the hit show has doubled down on its controversial style during a time when most programs have softened their stances.
The future of South Park looks bright, but it is not the only project that will benefit from this incredible popularity. A new, big comedy film is in the works, and some components of that mysterious new project and its relationship to the hit Comedy Central program could help it become one of the biggest hits of next year.
Matt Stone, Trey Parker, And Kendrick Lamar Have A New Movie Coming In March 2026
2026 is a huge year for movies, and one of the biggest could be a new project that sees South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker teaming up with one of the most successful rappers working today, Kendrick Lamar. The new film is written by frequent South Park collaborator Vernon Chatman, and will be released March 20, 2026.
While no тιтle has yet been revealed for the new film, brief details of the synopsis have been shared. The film centers around a Black man who works at a living history museum, which recreates an immersive experience of another time. The story centers around this lead character discovering that his white girlfriend’s ancestors owned his.
While this story reminds of the contemporary political themes of movies like Jordan Peele’s Get Out, the new film is promised to have a much different tone.
IGN reported from CinemaCon 2024 that former Paramount CEO Brian Robbins called it “one of the funniest and most original scripts we’ve ever read and it’s certain to create some fireworks when it hits theaters.”
All of this is promising, but it is notable that most of the details of the movie are under wraps. Few members of the cast have been confirmed, despite the fact that began in October 2024. Parker directs the film, while he, Stone, and Lamar are all attached as producers.
South Park’s Renewed Popularity Could Help This Movie Perform Better Than Previous Efforts
Matt Stone and Trey Parker began making movies before South Park, beginning with the 1993 cult hit Cannibal! The Musical. The film lampooned the horrifying events of the Donner Party, twisting the story of Alfred Packer and his compatriots turning to cannibalism while trapped between mountains in the 19th century with catchy songs and silly jokes.
The film was a low-budget effort, begun as a university project, that has grown some popularity over the years, but it has not made significant funds. The same is true for the duo’s other two projects, 1997’s Orgazmo and 1998’s BASEketball, neither of which compared to the original success of South Park in that same period.
Trey Parker & Matt Stone Movies |
Year |
Box Office |
---|---|---|
Team America: World Police |
2004 |
$50 million |
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut |
1999 |
$83 million |
BASEketball |
1998 |
$7 million |
Orgazmo |
1997 |
$602,302 |
Cannibal! The Musical |
1993 |
– |
Making a feature film from South Park with the 1999 release South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut is to date the biggest success that the two have had in collaboration on a film. Produced for an estimated budget of $21 million, the film went on to earn $83 million and was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.
Unfortunately, the theatrical model has not treated Stone and Parker especially well. Despite being considered one of the best action comedies of the 2000s, their most recent film, Team America: World Police, saw a drop-off from the South Park movie, earning only $50 million against a budget of $32 million.
It can be hard for creators to make a move from television to the big screen, but it has been done successfully in the past. With South Park‘s recently renewed popularity, now is the perfect opportunity for Matt Stone and Trey Parker to attempt to take their unique style of comedy back to the exhibition format.
Fortunately, the new film from Trey Parker is reported to be live-action. This is an important distinction, as it helps to differentiate the effort from their television fare. Unlike the unusual puppetry employed in Team America, the new film has the potential to feel more like the Seth MacFarlane movie Ted, which made $549 million in 2012.
Making the jump back to theatrical movies is an exciting option for this group, and after so long away from such releases, this project must be dear to them. Audiences have grown more willing to see raunchier and more challenging efforts like those Stone and Parker have made, and theatrical comedies are dearly missed in cinemas.
Perhaps South Park will remain the thing that Matt Stone and Trey Parker are best known for in the end, but this new movie will certainly receive a boost from that show’s renewed popularity. Stone and Parker are two of the most consistently funny voices in comedy, and their new film could now wind up being a huge hit.