Principal photography took place over 14 weeks beginning in September 2011 on an estimated $100 million budget, with filming occurring in Bulgaria, Hong Kong and New Orleans. Controversy arose over environmental damage caused during filming in Bulgaria, and the accidental death of a stuntman. Brian Tyler returned to score the film.
The film was released across Europe on August 16, 2012, followed by a North American release on August 17. As of October 28, 2012 it has grossed over $289 million worldwide. Critics generally considered the film an improvement over the original film, citing more use of humor and action scenes as positives, though the plot and character dialogue were negatively received. A tie-in downloadable video game was released on July 31, 2012, that served as a prequel to the events of the film.
