Summary

• Shrek 2 was a record-breaking success at the box office, securing the franchise's lasting popularity and financial success.
• The Shrek franchise was the first animated series to reach the $1 billion, $2 billion, and $3 billion box office milestones.
• Despite being overtaken by Despicable Me as the highest-grossing animated franchise, Shrek remains a powerhouse in Hollywood.

The Shrek movies have always been incredibly successful, and Shrek 2's box office secured the franchise a place in history 20 years ago. DreamWorks' animated movie about Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey originally started in 2001, and by the time Shrek 2 came out three years later, the franchise's popularity reached new heights. The critically acclaimed sequel easily surpassed the box office haul of the first movie after accumulating $928 million worldwide. It was a performance that guaranteed audiences would see much more of Shrek and friends in the years that would come.

Now that 20 years have passed since Shrek 2's release, the franchise remains one of the biggest for DreamWorks and across all of Hollywood. It might not be the highest-grossing animated movie franchise anymore after Despicable Me beat Shrek, but the franchise's performance over the years has remained strong. The Shrek movies are still the second highest-grossing animated movie series of all time, holding off the likes of Toy Story for that title. Even if the series tumbles down the list of highest-grossing animated movie franchises, there's one box office record Shrek has that will never be broken.

Shrek Became The First $1 Billion Animated Movie Franchise With Shrek 2's Release

It Was The Only One For Four Years

$1 billion movie franchises are a common sight by now, as most major franchises even chase to make that much at the box office with a single release. There are over a dozen animated movie franchises that have achieved this milestone over the years. However, Shrek was the first to do it. No animated movie franchise had surpassed the $1 billion mark prior to Shrek 2's release and its near billion-dollar performance alone. The simple fact that Shrek did it first means there will never be another animated movie franchise that can take this record from it.

By the time that Shrek 2's box office run concluded, the franchise's worldwide total was $1.4 billion. That was much more than any other animated movie series had made to that point in 2004. The Toy Story franchise had only made $870.9 million through its first two releases. Ice Age was only one year removed from launching the eventual franchise with its $383 million movie. Meanwhile, Finding Nemo and other Pixar movies had yet to become franchises themselves. It wasn't until Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa in 2008 that another animated movie franchise surpassed $1 billion in box office receipts.

Shrek Was Also The First Animated Franchise To Cross $2 Billion & $3 Billion At The Box Office

Sequels Helped Shrek Hit New Milestones

The Shrek franchise's box office milestones did not stop at being the first to make $1 billion. DreamWorks used additional entries in the Far Far Away universe to make Shrek the first $2 billion and $3 billion franchise. Shrek the Third's release pushed the franchise to $2.2 billion in 2007. Shrek Forever After came $20.5 million shy of moving the series beyond $3 billion in 2010, but thankfully Puss in Boots' release in 2011 helped the franchise hit the milestone after making $554 million.

This was the last billion-dollar box office milestone Shrek hit first of any animated franchise, as Despicable Me beat it to $4 billion. They are the only two animated franchises to achieve this goal at the moment, but sequels for Toy Story and Frozen could change that. And if another Shrek movie does not come out soon, it could slide down the ranking of highest-grossing animated movie franchises.

Shrek 2's 20th Anniversary is on May 19, 2024