After shocking industry analysts with a whopping opening weekend haul of more than $100 million, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that "The Secret Life of Pets" would be getting a sequel. Now, the news is official, with studio Universal officially greenlighting a follow-up, and setting a release date.

"The Secret Life of Pets 2" will hit theaters on July 13, 2018. There's no official plot yet, though it's expected to follow a similar trajectory to the first flick, which focused on what a group of pets do when their owners are away at work.

Universal is also probably hoping that "Pets 2" follows the first film's trajectory at the box office, too, where it over-performed on its opening weekend back in July to rake in $103 million, about $30 million above estimates. That total made it the highest-grossing opening ever for a PG-rated flick, besting previous champ "Shrek Forever After."

"Pets" featured an all-star voice cast made up of a bunch of big-name comedic talent, including Louis CK and Eric Stonestreet as the main characters, and a supporting ensemble that featured Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Bobby Moynihan, and Albert Brooks. It's unclear at this point how many of them will return for round two, though that may not matter much to the series's pint-sized fans.

Stay tuned for more intel as it becomes available.

[via: TheWrap]