Where To Watch 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' And Its Sequel

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, and Joey Fatone. It follows a young Greek-American woman who falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her heritage and cultural identity. The film premiered at the American Film Market on February 22, 2002, and was theatrically released in the United States on April 19, 2002, by IFC Films. It received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $368.7 million worldwide. The film spawned a franchise, with two sequels and a spin-off TV series. The third film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, was released in theatres on September 8, 2023, and takes place in Greece.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 filming locations

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 was filmed entirely in Greece, marking a departure from the first two films, which were shot in Toronto. The movie was directed, written by, and starred Nia Vardalos, who sought to capture the country with "magical realism".

Filming took place in Athens and Corfu, with scenes in Santorini and some coastline shots of Crete, Paros, and Hydra. The cast and crew spent almost a month filming in Corfu, which served as the second primary location for the movie.

In Athens, the airport was transformed to resemble Chicago's O'Hare airport, and a house in a wealthy suburb was used as the interior of the Portokalos family home. The historic neighbourhood of Plaka, known for its neoclassical architecture, was also used for several scenes.

In Corfu, the cast and crew filmed in the neoclassical village of Varipatades, located at the top of a mountain. The island's stunning castles and ancient olive groves, including The Governor's Olive Mill, also feature in the film.

Other Corfu filming locations included the beachside Bolivar Beach Bar in Athens, which served as a bustling nightclub in the movie, and the unique Bouas Village in Danilia, a recreation of a 1930s Greek village.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 plot

The Portokalos family is dealing with a lot of grief in the third instalment of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise. Toula (Nia Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) are happily married but facing the challenges of parenthood as their daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris) struggles with the responsibility of college. Athena and Yiannis are caring for Maria (Lainie Kazan), who is battling dementia. Nick (Louis Mandylor), now separated, returns home and displays immature behaviour.

The family travels to Greece for a reunion in the village of Vrisi, the hometown of the late Gus Portokalos. Victory (Melina Kotselou), the mayor of Vrisi, has invited the family, hoping they will revive the nearly abandoned village. On the flight, Aunt Voula introduces her assistant Aristotle (Elias Kacavas), who is also Paris's college-mate. Toula brings Gus's journal, which contains his life story, to give to his three childhood friends.

When the family arrives in Vrisi, they realise that only a handful of locals still live there, and tracking down Gus's old friends is not easy. They meet Alexandra (Anthi Andreopoulou), Gus's old flame, and Victory confesses that there is no reunion planned. The family goes sightseeing and gets to know the locals. They discover a family secret: Gus had a son, Peter (Alexis Georgoulis), with Alexandra. Peter has a son, Christos (Giannis Vasilottos), who is in a secret relationship with a Syrian refugee named Qamar (Stephanie Nur).

Christos and Qamar decide to get engaged, despite disapproval from Peter and Alexandra. The family organises a wedding, infusing Greek and Syrian wedding traditions. Paris and Aristotle decide to explore their relationship further. Toula, Peter, and Nick scatter Gus's ashes at the oldest olive tree in the village. The family returns to Chicago, bringing Peter with them to meet his mother, Maria, who is looking forward to meeting her late husband's long-lost son.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 cast

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is the third instalment in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding film series. The movie was written and directed by Nia Vardalos, who also reprises her role as Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos. The film stars John Corbett as Ian Miller, Toula's husband, and Louis Mandylor as Nick Portokalos, Toula's brother. Elena Kampouris plays Paris Miller, Toula and Ian's daughter, while Lainie Kazan portrays Maria Portokalos, Toula's mother, who is battling dementia.

The cast also includes Andrea Martin as Theia Voula, Gia Carides as Cousin Nikki, Joey Fatone as Cousin Angelo, Maria Vacratsis as Theia Freida, and Gerry Mendicino as Uncle Taki. The film introduces new characters such as Alexandra, played by Anthi Andreopoulou, who is Gus's old flame, and her son Peter, portrayed by Alexis Georgoulis, who is fathered by Gus. Giannis Vasilottos plays Christos, Peter's son, and Stephanie Nur portrays Qamar, Christos's fiancée.

The film also features a host of supporting actors, including Stavroula Logothettis, Jayne Eastwood, and Kathryn Greenwood, who portray Athena Portokalos, Mrs White, and Marge, respectively. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 was released on September 8, 2023, in the United States and received a combination of positive and negative reviews from audiences and critics.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 critical reception

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 received generally negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 29% based on 94 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the film a score of 35 out of 100 based on 26 critic reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.

One review on Rotten Tomatoes called the film "amiable and sunny if often unamusing", saying that it "repeats much of what audiences loved the first time around but suffers from diminishing returns". Another review on the site called it a "fever dream of bad choices", with "lazy writing, lazy performances, [and an] unnecessary plot". The review goes on to say that "every joke is forced" and that "for a comedy [their] screening was dead silent".

A review on IMDb called the film a "massive disappointment", saying that it was "almost cringe-worthy" and that even though it's the original cast there was no heart in the film. The review also states that the film felt "empty" and that the "plot was thin".

Despite the generally negative reviews, some viewers enjoyed the film. One review on IMDb said that the film was "entertaining" and "charming", with "great scenery". Another review called it a "fun movie with tender moments and great scenery".

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 box office performance

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, written and directed by Nia Vardalos, was released in the United States on September 8, 2023, by Focus Features. The film is the third installment in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise and stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, and many other talented actors and actresses. The film's plot revolves around the Portokalos family as they travel to Greece and discover new family members while also trying to locate the childhood friends of their late patriarch, Gus.

The film has grossed $39 million worldwide as of October 31, 2023, with $28.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $10.6 million in other territories. On its opening weekend, the film debuted with $10 million from 3,650 theaters in the United States and Canada, placing third at the box office. The film's worldwide gross is impressive, but it falls short of the first two films in the franchise, which made $375 million and $92 million worldwide, respectively.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 needed to gross at least $57.5 million at the box office to be considered a financial success and continue the franchise's success. While the film's gross is a far cry from the staggering success of its predecessors, it is still a respectable amount for an independent film. The film's budget is estimated to be equivalent to or slightly below $18 million, which is similar to the budget of the second film in the franchise.

Despite the film's commercial success, it received generally negative reviews from critics, with a 29% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a "generally unfavorable" score of 35/100 on Metacritic. However, audiences were more positive, giving the film an average grade of "B" on CinemaScore and a 73% overall positive score on PostTrak.

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