The Wild Robothas helped push DreamWorks' box office past a major record. DreamWorks Animation is a studio that was founded in 1994 by iconic filmmaker Steven Spielberg with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. Its first major hit was its second release, 1998’sThe Prince of Egypt, which grossed $218.6 million against a $60 million budget. Since then, it has had many more hits, launching multiple major animated franchises includingShrek,Madagascar,Kung Fu Panda,How to Train Your Dragon,Trolls, andThe Boss Baby. Collectively, DreamWorks movies have grossed more than $17 billion worldwide and earned three Oscar nominations.
DreamWorks’The Wild Robot, which debuted on September 27, was written and directed by Chris Sanders and stars Lupita Nyong’o, Kit Connor, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames. The movie, which is adapted from the 2016 book of the same name by Peter Brown, opened to a middling $35.8 million, but had a slow and steady box office run that saw it rise to a total of$318.4 million worldwide against its $78 million budget.In addition to its commercial success, it earned a near-perfect Certified Fresh 97% Rotten Tomatoes score.
10 Ways The Wild Robot Movie Changes The Book
The Wild Robot is a great adaptation of a beloved book, but changes were still made to allow the story to be better told in its new medium.
The Wild Robot & Kung Fu Panda 4’s Collective Box Office Makes 2024 DreamWorks' Best Since 2014
With glowingThe Wild Robotreviewsand Oscar buzz seemingly driving its box office results, the new movie has helped push DreamWorks over the edge to earntheir best box office in a single year since 2014, which is one of just two years in the past decade when they’ve had three theatrical releases. When combined with the $547.6 million earned by the smash hit sequelKung Fu Panda 4, this brings the studio’s 2024 gross to a grand total of $866,428,150, surpassing 2016’s previous high of $863,020,934. Below, see a breakdown of DreamWorks' yearly box office totals since 2014:
2014
$981,528,801
Mr. Peabody & Sherman,How to Train Your Dragon 2,Penguins of Madagascar
2015
$385,997,896
2016
$863,020,934
2017
$654,332,898
2018
-
2019
$709,648,790
2020
$263,632,645
2021
$188,517,476
2022
$736,156,026
2023
$255,921,338
2024
$866,428,150
Kung Fu Panda 4,The Wild Robot
Back in 2014, DreamWorks' major box office high of $981,528,801 wasdriven almost entirely by the $621.5 million earned by the sequelHow to Train Your Dragon 2. Neither of the year’s other two releases, which were the television adaptationMr. Peabody & Sherman($275.7 million against a $145 million budget) and the spinoff moviePenguins of Madagascar($373.5 million against a $132 million budget), were hits at the level ofThe Wild Robotcompared to their much bigger price tags. If DreamWorks had a third wide release in 2024, the year could have easily bested 2014’s combined total.
DreamWorks' 2024 Box Office Performance Is A Great Sign For The Studio
In addition to this cumulative 2024 gross being a good sign of DreamWorks commercial viability in and of itself, the success of the2024 animated movieis even more secure when considering the fact thatit is not an installment in a pre-established franchise. WhileKung Fu Panda 4had a huge gross, it was somewhat expected considering its attachment to a $2.36 billion franchise, in which it was actually the second lowest-grossing.The Wild Robot, on the other hand, was an untested property that has now launched a franchise of its own, with a sequel already in development.
The Wild Robot 2was announced in October 2024, less than a month after the debut of the original movie.
DreamWorks' 2024 success also extends beyond its theatrical prospects. Although it was a Netflix release and thus did not contribute to the studio’s annual grosses, their 2024 movieOrion and the Dark- which debuted at No. 2 on the platform’s English-Language Movies chart - was a smash success with critics,earning a Certified Fresh score of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is the second-best score for a DreamWorks movie in 2024, handily bestingKung Fu Panda 4’s 71%, though it falls slightly behind the dazzling score ofThe Wild Robot.
Will DreamWorks' 2025 Movies Beat Its 2024 Box Office?
They Have A Potential Record-Breaking Hit Set To Debut
Although 2024 nearly beat their 2014 total, DreamWorks' 2025 slate may finally blow 2014 out of the water. Their 2025 slate is led by thelive-actionHow to Train Your Dragon. While they have never remade one of their animated properties in live-action before, their competitor Disney has had huge success with many of their live-action remakes, which include four that have grossed more than $1 billion (2019’sThe Lion King, 2017’sBeauty and the Beast, 2019’sAladdin, and 2010’sAlice in Wonderland), so this remake of their franchise-launching hit could prove to be a huge boon.
The year will also feature DreamWorks' most robust theatrical slate of the decade…
That movie’s grosses should also be bolstered by the upcomingThe Bad Guys 2, a sequel to a movie that earned $250.4 million against a roughly $80 million budget during the pandemic-depressed box office period of early 2022. The year will also feature DreamWorks' most robust theatrical slate of the decade, with the Dav Piley adaptationDog Manand the live-action Netflix adaptationGabby’s Dollhouse: The Moviealso set to premiere in 2025. WhileThe Wild Robot’s runaway success helped 2024 succeed, the following year shows signs of being even better.
The Wild Robot
The Wild Robot is an animated drama film based on a series of books by Peter Brown. The adaptation is written and directed by Chris Sanders and stars Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, and Catherine O’Hara. The Wild Robot centers on a robot named Rozzum 7134, who becomes stranded on a deserted island and the guardian of a young orphan.
