Pixar and DreamWorks are two of the biggest animation studios still operating today, and here is how the two titans have matched up against each other at the box office over the past 10 years. While there are other studios that specialize in computer animation, such as Walt Disney Animation Studios and Sony Pictures Animation, Pixar and DreamWorks are the two giants that these other studios stand on the shoulders of. These animation pioneers are still active today, with each studio’s respective box office performance being particularly interesting. So, here is who is winning at the box office in the Pixar vs. DreamWorks animation match-up.
Pixar is the studio that laid the groundwork for animation, with 1995’s Toy Story being the first feature-length computer-animated film ever released. The film was a huge hit, leading to the formation of a rival studio founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen: DreamWorks. Although DreamWorks bounced between computer animation and traditional animation in its early years, the studio completely moved to computer animation after the failure of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, with DreamWorks becoming Pixar’s biggest rival. Both studios have huge hits and massive franchises, and here is a comparison of how Pixar and DreamWorks have been doing at the box office.
Pixar vs. DreamWorks’ Box Office Performance In Their First 10 Years & Past 10 Years
In order to fully paint a picture of how Pixar and DreamWorks have been doing recently, the studios’ respective box office performances across their first 10 years need to be explained. From 1995-2005, Pixar released six films. The highest-grossing was Finding Nemo, which made $936 million, the lowest-grossing was A Bug’s Life, which made $363 million, and the average worldwide gross is around $561 million. From October 1998 to October 2008, DreamWorks released 16 films. The highest-grossing was Shrek 2, which made $935 million, the lowest-grossing was The Road to El Dorado, which made $65 million, and the average worldwide gross was around $353 million.
On average, Pixar did better than DreamWorks in its first 10 years, but how are the studios holding up now? Since September 2013, Pixar has had 10 films with a wide theatrical release. The highest-grossing of these was Incredibles 2, which made $1.242 billion, the lowest-grossing was Onward, which made $133 million, and the average worldwide gross is around $653 million. DreamWorks, on the other hand, has given a wide theatrical release to 16 films since September 2013. The highest-grossing was How to Train Your Dragon 2, which made $614 million, the lowest-grossing was Spirit Untamed, which made $42 million, and the average worldwide gross is around $314.8 million.
The Lowest-Grossing Pixar Film Still Did Better Than The 6 Worst-Performing DreamWorks Movies
It is now known that the gap between Pixar and DreamWorks’ average worldwide gross has only grown in recent years, with Pixar’s lead growing by around $131 million. However, things could change when directly comparing films between the two studios. Pixar’s lowest-grossing film is 2020’s Onward, which made only $133 million. The lowest-grossing DreamWorks film is 2021’s Spirit Untamed, which had an aforementioned box office total of $42 million. There is a big gap between these two poorly performing films, but things get even worse for DreamWorks upon closer inspection.
While Onward may be the biggest box office failure that Pixar has ever released, the film actually still did better than six DreamWorks movies. The six worst-performing DreamWorks films from lowest box office to highest are Spirit Untamed, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, The Road to El Dorado, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. 2017’s Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie made only $126 million compared to Onward‘s $133 million, while DreamWorks’ next lowest-grossing movie is The Boss Baby: Family Business, which made $146 million.
The Highest-Grossing DreamWorks Film Earned Less Than The 5 Best-Performing Pixar Movies
The worst-performing Pixar and DreamWorks films have already been compared, but the highest-grossing movies might help paint a more complete picture. The highest-grossing Pixar film is 2018’s Incredibles 2, which made $1.242 billion, while the highest-grossing DreamWorks film is 2004’s Shrek 2, which made $935 billion. Both of these films were huge box office successes, but much like the lowest-grossing films, the disparity between Pixar and DreamWorks becomes even more clear upon taking a closer look.
Although Shrek 2 is the highest-grossing DreamWorks movie of all time, there are still 5 Pixar movies that have done better than the beloved fantasy sequel. The five best-performing Pixar movies from highest box office to lowest box office are Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, Toy Story 3, Finding Dory, and Finding Nemo. Although most of these movies have been released within the past 10 years, Finding Nemo is the exception, with it being the Pixar film that is closest to Shrek 2‘s box office while still passing it. Finding Nemo made $936 million at the worldwide box office, beating Shrek 2 by less than a million dollars.
Pixar’s Original Movie Do Better, But Good Critical Reception Helps Both Studios
Another comparison to make has to do with both studios’ original films. Major franchises like Pixar’s Toy Story and Incredibles or DreamWorks’ Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon almost always do well, but original properties over the past decade are a completely different story. Pixar has released five movies that aren’t sequels over the past 10 years, with them making an average of $518 million at the worldwide box office. DreamWorks has released eight movies that aren’t sequels in this same timeframe, with them making an average of $266 million at the worldwide box office.
This disparity in the box office performance of original movies can be explained by one major factor: critical reception. Good word of mouth is essential for an original property, and since Pixar tends to have more well-received films than DreamWorks, Pixar’s original movies tend to do better. Original movies like Inside Out and Coco were much more popular than movies like Home and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken due to this critical gap, although there is obviously some variance in quality and box office success.
Pixar Is Finally Recovering At The Box Office, But DreamWorks Is Still Struggling
COVID-19 was a major hit for both studios at the box office, but for Pixar, things are finally starting to get back to normal. Pixar moved away from streaming-only releases with Lightyear, and while Lightyear was a huge box-office failure, Elemental is starting to see pre-COVID numbers. DreamWorks, on the other hand, is still struggling, with its highest-grossing post-COVID movie being Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which still only made $484 million. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is the studio’s most recent release as of this article’s writing, and it was a massive bomb. So, when it comes to Pixar vs. DreamWorks at the box office, Pixar is still winning.
