Why Madagascar 4 is Inevitable
With so many animated franchises getting revived, it's only a matter of time before we'll also get Madagascar 4.
We live in an era where every studio is trying to revive old franchises, especially in the animation department. In 2026 we’ll have Toy Story 5, Shrek 5 and Ice Age 6. All of these are new installments in franchises that began over 20 years ago. Not to mention other animated movies that are set for 2026 and should make tons of money like Super Mario Bros 2.
This brings me to Madagascar 4. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before DreamWorks will announce the fourth installment. Not only because of the whole “franchise-revival” method that took over Hollywood, but because the studio has already started to revive his other successful franchises.
Earlier this year, Kung Fu Panda 4 was released for positive reviews and grossed nearly 550 million dollars against a budget of 85 million. While it was lower than the first and second movie (which grossed 632 million and 665 million, respectively), it was on par, and in fact, slightly more than the third movie, which grossed 521 million in 2016. Clearly the audience still loves this franchise. And while there wasn’t an official announcement of Kung Fu Panda 5, as of now, we all know it’s coming.
And then you have Shrek, the most famous DreamWorks franchise. The original four movies have grossed nearly 3 billion dollars between 2001 and 2010. The spin-off, Puss in Boots, which was released in 2011, grossed 554 million, while its sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, was released in December of 2022, received rave reviews, and thanks to that had amazing legs at the box office (despite the lower opening) and still grossed 480 million. Shrek 5 is going to be huge, perhaps even one of the biggest movies of 2026.
Which brings us to Madagascar. The original three movies have grossed nearly 1.9 billion dollars, while the spin-off, Penguins of Madagascar, which was released in 2014, had grossed 373 million dollars. Not only that, but each movie in the franchise improved upon its predecessor, both in terms of reviews and box office. The first movie received 55% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed 542 million. The second movie received 64% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed 603 million. The third film was, of course, the most successful – it received 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed 746 million.
So, these are DreamWorks top 3 franchises – Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar. One of them (Kung Fu Panda) was successfully revived, while the second (Shrek) is on its way. That’s why I believe it’s only a matter of time before we’ll hear about a fourth Madagascar movie. I won’t be surprised if the studio will announce a 2027 release date. If so, it’s the same year where we should get Incredibles 3, Frozen 3 and Minion 3. Adding Madagascar to the mix will make 2027 a big animated year, just like 2026.
While it seems like we’re only getting animated sequels, there are some original movies on the way: We have DreamWorks’s Dog Man and Pixar’s Elio, both of them in 2025, Sony’s Goat and Pixar’s Hopper both of them in 2026. Yes, these are not much, but I really hope they will do well at the box office, so we can get more original animated movies.