Although DreamWorks is often regarded as a comparatively minor player in the animated space compared to Disney, the studio’s latest hit has seen it score a surprising win against its major competitor. Considering Disney’s dominance of the genre for more than a century, it’s unsurprising that most observers assume that they are by far and away the most successful animation-centered business. While this is true by most metrics, DreamWorks’ new record proves that the picture is actually much more complicated than it seems.
Since its foundation in 1994, DreamWorks Animation has been responsible for some of the most popular and successful animated movies. Starting with the 1998 hit Antz, the studio has gone on to produce 47 further feature films, with many more still in the pipeline. Individual films like Shrek and How To Train Your Dragon have helped define the zeitgeist, ensuring that the studio remains the preeminent animated competitor to Disney. However, while single movies have been successful for DreamWorks, it is the franchises that these films have spawned that have seen it break new ground.
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DreamWorks Has The Most $2 Billion Animated Movie Franchises After Kung Fu Panda 4
After a hiatus of eight years, DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda 4 became a critical and commercial success – making over $500 million at the global box office against a budget of $85 million. While this performance marked the movie as a success in its own right, its financial performance meant that the Kung Fu Panda franchise as a whole became the seventh-highest animated franchise of all time, earning over $2 billion across four movies. A further result of this is that DreamWorks overtook Disney as the studio with the most $2 billion animated-only franchises.
$2 Billion Animated Franchises | Number of Movies | Total Box Office |
|---|---|---|
Despicable Me | 5 | $4.65 billion |
Shrek | 6 | $4.02 billion |
Toy Story | 5 | $3.27 billion |
Ice Age | 5 | $3.22 billion |
Frozen | 2 | $2.74 billion |
Kung Fu Panda | 4 | $2.32 billion |
Madagascar | 4 | $2.27 billion |
In addition to Kung Fu Panda, major DreamWorks projects Shrek and Madagascar have also both hit the $2 billion mark. By contrast, Disney’s only two eligible franchises are Toy Story and Frozen, meaning that DreamWorks is now definitively ahead of its rival. It’s important to note that Disney’s Lion King franchise has also made over $2 billion, yet the 2019 version generally falls under the live-action remake umbrella. Furthermore, several Disney properties sit just below the $2 billion mark, including Finding Nemo ($1.96 billion) and The Incredibles ($1.88 billion). Nevertheless, DreamWorks can still celebrate an impressive achievement.
DreamWorks’ Box Office Record Proves It Is The King Of Animated Movie Franchises (Not Disney)
Although Disney has an impressive collection of high-performing animated franchises, DreamWorks’ new record sets it apart from its rival. The enduring success of Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar, all three of which have spanned multiple decades, highlights their longevity and legacy – arguably the hallmark of any truly successful franchise. The fact that all three series have also included four or more installments also establishes them as true franchises – as opposed to Disney series like Frozen that consist of only two separate entries.
A further consideration is that, while Disney has many financially lucrative series that are yet to break the $2 billion barrier, DreamWorks’ success is not just limited to its three most profitable properties. Other releases, such as How To Train Your Dragon ($1.64 billion) have been hugely successful without reaching the milestone, while DreamWorks projects like The Boss Baby have spawned extremely successful transmedia franchises in their own right. Meanwhile, many of the really successful Disney movies (including Finding Nemo and The Incredibles) have led to a limited number of sequels, reinforcing DreamWorks’ franchise credentials.
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Disney Is Ignoring Its Best Chances To Break DreamWorks’ $2 Billion Record
Considering how close multiple other Disney franchises are to breaking the $2 billion barrier, it seems almost inevitable that DreamWorks’ record won’t stand for long. However, while Disney has ample opportunity to retake its crown, the studio currently has no firm plans to pursue its best options for doing so. Neither Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, nor Cars (which also sits at an impressive $1.87 billion) are in line for a sequel, suggesting that Disney’s next $2 billion franchise will have to come from elsewhere.
Ultimately, the competition over the most successful animated franchises is somewhat arbitrary. After all, beyond Disney and DreamWorks, Illumination is responsible for the most successful animated franchise of all thanks to the Despicable Me movies. Nevertheless, it is striking that, given Disney’s reputation, DreamWorks has still managed to outstrip what many perceive as its main rival.
