'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' Looks Fantastically Watchable [Trailer + Pictures]

Forget The Avengers, The Hunger Games and The Hobbit, for it was The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel that ruled supreme as the true box-office success story of 2012. Fox were never expecting much when producers Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin pitched the idea of a movie about a group of British retirees travelling to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel - maybe a tidy little profit and a healthy top up in DVD sales.

Though Broadbent and Czernin acquired an extraordinary cast - Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Celie Imrie - and a clever, funny script. The movie took $136 million worldwide, on a budget of just $10 million. It was a hugely impressive comedy that paved the way for an immediate sequel.

The trailer for The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel rolled out online last week, with the ambitious hotel manager Sonny Kapoor embarking on a new venture for a second business.

New arrivals include Richard Gere, while Dench, Nighy, Imrie and Smith all returning.

Watch the trailer for 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel':

During an interview with the Hollywood Reporter whilst filming the sequel, Dench discussed what she enjoyed about the country.

"I like the colour. The sound of it, the smell of it, the taste of it. They are the most beautiful people in the world. I've bored all my friends and family talking about India for three years now -I'm going to do it for another three years," she said.

Once again based on a screenplay by Ol Parker, The Bext Exotic Marigold Hotel 2 opens on February 27, 2015 in the UK and March 6 in the U.S.

Maggie Smith in 'Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2'

Judi Dench [L] and Bill Nighy [R] in 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2'