LOS ANGELES, Sept 24  — Seven years have passed for the monsters of “Hotel Transylvania 2,” but only three for the actors who return for the sequel of 2012’s US$358 million (RM1.56 billion) smash.

October’s big animated feature sees Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) worried about the prospects for his baby grandson Dennis (Asher Blinkoff), due to the lack of obvious vampiric powers.

With parents Jonathan and Mavis (Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez) off to visit the human side of the family, it’s an opportunity for Dracula to take matters in hand, recruit five old friends, and try to coax Dennis’s monstrous inclinations out of hiding.

Away from the antics of our toony Transylvanians, none of Adam Sandler’s intermediary films have been especially well received, apart from Chris Rock’s “Top Five” in which he cameoed; none have performed quite as well at the box office.

Still, “Grown Ups 2” and “Pixels” both cleared US$221 million; his third collaboration with Drew Barrymore, “Blended,” took US$128 million, and two Kevin James films in “Here Comes The Boom” and “Paul Blart 2” made US$73 million and US$107 million respectively. All four were produced by Sandler’s own Happy Madison, and he signed a four-film deal with Netflix.

By contrast, Andy Samberg may seem a little less prolific but the ex-Saturday Night Life member’s star has rarely been higher. TV comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” brought him a Golden Globe, and a return to “SNL” for its 40th anniversary an Emmy at the award ceremony he himself hosted in September.

Selena Gomez (Mavis) had her first solo album out with a second, “Revival,” due October 9; Kevin James has developed a Sandler-esque touch when it comes to low-scoring, high-earning comedies; Steve Buscemi was praised for “Boardwalk Empire” while finding time for AOL series “Park Bench” and a number of comedies; Molly Shannon added “Enlightened” and “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” to her achievements.

Meanwhile, creator and director Genndy Tartakovsky helped set the tone for Annie and Emmy-nominated hit TV cartoon “Steven Universe,” overseeing animation for its pilot episode.

As a family-oriented fantasy comedy, “Hotel Transylvania 2” arrives after a relatively lean few months since “Inside Out” and “Minions” bossed the box office.

In US cinemas, a September 25 release is two weeks before “Pan” arrives, three until “Goosebumps” (which, like the “Hotel Transylvania” films, is from Sony Pictures Animation).

Further out, Snoopy starrer “The Peanuts Movie” and then Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur” are due at opposite ends of November. — AFP/Relaxnews