Step Up 3D (2010): Cast, Plot and Ending Explained

Step Up 3D follows Moose, a new student at NYU who has promised his father he will give up dancing, and the street crew that pulls him straight back onto the floor. Moose and his friend Camille arrive in New York City to start college, and his plan is to focus on engineering. Then he spots a stranger wearing rare sneakers, follows him to a street dance battle, and beats a rival dancer there.

The stranger is Luke, who runs a crew called the Pirates out of a converted warehouse that is behind on its payments. Luke wants to enter the World Jam championship, and he recruits Moose along with a talented newcomer named Natalie. That is the setup, and the rest of the film is built on one question: can a crew with a money problem get through a competition that big?

The dance style throughout is street dance, the same foundation the series has used since Step Up (2006), where it was set against ballet. In this third film the focus moves from a single couple to a full crew, with battles, group routines and a championship stage. If you are choosing a film for a family evening, the US rating is PG-13, the UK rating is 12 and the Australian rating is PG.

Step Up 3D opened in US theaters on August 6, 2010, according to Disney's D23. The UK release was the same day, with Australia one day earlier on August 5, 2010, according to Box Office Mojo.

The film is rated PG-13 in the US, 12 in the UK and PG in Australia, and it runs 107 minutes.

On money, Box Office Mojo lists a $30 million budget against $42 million domestic and $117 million international, for about $159 million worldwide. That is the highest worldwide total of the five Step Up films, ahead of Step Up 2: The Streets at about $149 million and Step Up Revolution at about $140 million. It also has the strongest international total of the series, while its domestic gross sits below the first two films. For every film side by side, see the Step Up box office breakdown.

Step Up 3D was filmed in New York City, and Disney's D23 describes it as the first 3D motion picture shot entirely in the city. The same entry calls it the first 3D dance drama. Earlier films in the series, such as Step Up 2: The Streets, were shot in Baltimore, so the move to New York gives the third film its own geography, from NYU to street battles and the warehouse home of the Pirates.

D23 names the city rather than individual streets or venues, so no specific shooting addresses are listed. The format is better documented: the film was shot natively in 3D rather than converted afterward, and director Jon M. Chu told TheWrap he let shots hold longer so audiences could see the dancers themselves.

Step Up 3D was shot natively in 3D instead of being converted in post production, according to TheWrap's interview with Jon M. Chu.

• Chu said the 3D cameras often broke down and lenses cracked, so the team had to build custom rigs (TheWrap).
• Chu let shots hold longer so audiences could see the dancers perform the moves themselves, without relying on effects (TheWrap).
• Disney's D23 describes the film as the first 3D motion picture shot entirely in New York City and the first 3D dance drama.
• The film was made by Touchstone Pictures, Summit Entertainment and Offspring Entertainment, with Walt Disney distributing (The Numbers).
• Chu also directed the previous film, Step Up 2: The Streets (TheWrap).
• Moose, played by Adam Sevani, also appears in Step Up 2: The Streets and Step Up All In.

For more dance highlights across the series, see the best Step Up dance scenes and the guide to Step Up dance crews.