In the film, after Paddington is framed and imprisoned for a burglary that he did not commit, he and his family have to find the real culprit and prove his innocence.

The film was theatrically released on 10 November 2017 in the United Kingdom and 6 December 2017 in France, and grossed $227 million worldwide.

In pursuit of the thief, Paddington is framed and arrested, while the real culprit, actor Phoenix Buchanan, escapes with the book.

Knuckles McGinty, the prison chef, hires Paddington to work in the kitchen after tasting one of his marmalade sandwiches.

Meanwhile, the Browns help to prove Paddington's innocence by putting up sketches of the thief all over London, while Buchanan uses clues within the book to locate a hidden fortune.

Growing suspicious of Buchanan, Mary and Henry Brown search his home and discover a secret attic filled with numerous costumes, including the one he wore during the burglary.

Aiming to expose Buchanan, they arrange to meet at Paddington station, where a carnival train carrying the hidden fortune is due to depart.

[9] By October 2016, most of the cast of Paddington—Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton—were confirmed to be returning for the sequel, joined by Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson.

[33] A video game based on the film, Paddington Run, was released on iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices on 25 October 2017.

The website's critical consensus reads, "Paddington 2 honours its star's rich legacy with a sweet-natured sequel whose adorable visuals are matched by a story perfectly balanced between heartwarming family fare and purely enjoyable all-ages adventure.

[50] On Metacritic, another review aggregator, the film has a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

[52] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, the same score earned by its predecessor.

[4] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Paddington 2 won't save the world, sadly, but its existence makes everything just that tiny bit better and more, well, bearable.

"[1] Guy Lodge of Variety wrote, "Another near pawfect family entertainment, honouring the cosy, can-do spirit of Michael Bond's stories while bringing them smoothly into a bustling, diverse 21st century London—with space for some light anti-Brexit subtext to boot.

"[53] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, "The film is pitched with insouciant ease and a lightness of touch at both children and adults without any self-conscious shifts in irony or tone: it's humour with the citrus tang of top quality thick-cut marmalade.

[83][84] In June 2016, StudioCanal CEO Didier Lupfer stated that the studio was committed to making a third Paddington film.

[85] In November 2017, David Heyman told Digital Spy that though the script for a third film had not been developed, discussions about locations, ideas and scenes had already begun.

[86] In November 2018, Heyman noted that a third film was likely to happen, but that Paul King would not be back to direct due to him working on Wonka, though he would still be involved in a prominent creative capacity.

[89] In June 2022, the film's title Paddington in Peru and Dougal Wilson as director were announced, with principal photography now set to begin 2023.

[29] In June 2023, Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas joined the cast as newcomers, while Emily Mortimer was announced to replace Sally Hawkins as Mrs.