“Shrek the Third” was DreamWorks Animation’s first threequel — the studio’s inaugural third installment in a franchise. Its $121.6 million open in May 2007 remains the biggest weekend ever for a DWA release. (2004’s “Shrek 2”, with $108 million, is in second place.) “Shrek the Third” earned $813M worldwide, not quite the $929M global gross of “Shrek 2”, but still good enough for DreamWorks to greenlight “Shrek Forever After”, which made $753M worldwide in 2010. Long-awaited “Shrek 5” is still in development.
The next DreamWorks threequel came in 2012, with my favorite in this trilogy, “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted”. This smart and visually striking chapter used “Afro Circus” in its marketing and took advantage of the early 2010s 3D boom, making $747M worldwide.
In January 2016, DreamWorks released “Kung Fu Panda 3”. This opened in the month of January (a DreamWorks first). While it didn’t quite reach the box office heights of the first two, the character of Po the Panda remains a family favorite. “Kung Fu Panda 4”, with Jack Black returning, is currently scheduled to come out in March 2024.
2019’s “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” concluded a bold and moving trilogy, with the friendship of Hiccup and Toothless capturing the hearts of millions over the span of a decade. All three “Dragons” films received Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations, with this threequel outgrossing the originally globally.
Now comes the latest DreamWorks threequel, “Trolls Band Together”, which I’ve already had the chance to screen. It’s a high-spirited, musical comedy adventure with some big moments and surprises. The first “Trolls” made $347 million worldwide in 2016, and Justin Timberlake’s chart-topping “Can’t Stop the Feeling” was on the Best Original Song Oscar ballot. 2020 sequel “Trolls World Tour” made more than $100 million in VOD purchases early on in the COVID pandemic. DreamWorks and Universal are counting on “TBT” being a blockbuster. It’s already doing well overseas, and there are pay preview screenings on Saturday November 4th ahead of the official November 17th open.