The End of a YA Movie Era: 'The Kissing Booth 3' Is the Final Film in the Franchise

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for The Kissing Booth and The Kissing Booth 2.

When The Kissing Booth premiered in 2018, fans flocked to watch the Netflix romcom in droves. The Young Adult flick became the most re-watched movie on the streamer that year — so whether you cringed the whole way through, or you genuinely fell for the love story, there was no denying that the film was buzzworthy.

Based on a Wattpad novel by Beth Reekles, the first film follows Elle Evans (Joey King), who has long had a crush on Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi), the brother of her best friend, Lee Flynn (Joel Courtney).

The two embark on a relationship, but the film concludes with a level of uncertainty because Noah is going away to his freshman year of college. In The Kissing Booth 2, the couple initially drifts apart while Elle bonds with classmate Marco Peña (Taylor Zakhar Perez). However, Noah and Elle ultimately decide to stay together.

Though Noah and Elle have dedicated themselves to one another over and over again, they are still facing issues in their relationship in the final installment of the series, The Kissing Booth 3.

While many are concerned about if the franchise will conclude with Elle picking Noah (again), or if she will instead be choosing a relationship with Marco, others simply want to know why the lighthearted romance movie series is ending.

As lead actress Joey King was promoting The Kissing Booth 2 in a livestream event back in the summer of 2020, she revealed that there would be a third film in the franchise. Joel Courtney then confirmed that both the second and the third movies had been shot back-to-back in South Africa.

The cast's big reveal marked the first time that there was confirmation for a third movie in The Kissing Booth series. While Netflix, the cast, and the crew have not publicly shared why the franchise is ending, there are a few factors that could have played a part in the decision.

The tandem shooting schedule could indicate that there were concerns about future scheduling conflicts, as many of the actors are busy with other projects. Jacob Elordi also stars on HBO's Euphoria, while Joey King is currently filming Uglies for Netflix. The Act alum also just signed an exclusive first-look deal with the streamer.

Another reason could be because the book series by Beth Reekles is concluding as well. The last novel in the trilogy, The Kissing Booth 3: One Last Time, will be released after the movie (so the ending of the screen edition won't be spoiled). Without material from a book to lead the film script, The Kissing Booth can end in a natural place, and without the plot getting too stale.

Netflix also does have a track record of wrapping up hit Young Adult franchises with three movies. The popular To All the Boys series wrapped in early 2021 with three films as well, which were all based on already-published novels by Jenny Han.

The third installment picks up right after the conclusion of The Kissing Booth 2. It's the summer after Elle and Lee's senior year of high school, and the protagonist still isn't sure where she will attend college.

After she was waitlisted at Harvard in the second movie, Elle set her sights on U.C. Berkeley. However, on her graduation day, she found out that she had been accepted off of the waitlist, and that she could potentially go to school with Noah.

Because Elle and Lee have had a lifelong pact to go to the same college, Elle feels pulled in two directions. In The Kissing Booth 3, the teen must decide if she sticks with her best friend, or with her boyfriend.

Plus, she has a summer bucket list to complete with Lee, and Marco is also around to further complicate matters.

Viewers can find out what Elle chooses in The Kissing Booth 3, which will be available to stream on Netflix starting on Aug. 11 at 3 a.m. ET.