Which Animated Franchise Leads In Average Worldwide Box Office Earnings?

Pixar’s Toy Story is among the most popular and successful animated film franchises across the world. When the first Toy Story film was released in theaters in the year 1995, it became an instant hit among moviegoers and was loved by critics. As of now, there have been four films in the main franchise and a spin-off, titled Lightyear. The fifth Toy Story film is slated for a theatrical release on June 19, 2026.

Shrek is another popular animated franchise that has received widespread acclaim and performed well at the box office. After its 2001 theatrical release, the first film, Shrek, not only received positive reviews but also became a box-office hit. Its critical and commercial success led to three sequels—Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), and Shrek Forever After (2010), and two spin-offs—Puss in Boots (2011) and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022). And now, fans are eagerly waiting for Shrek 5, which is set to hit theaters in 2027.

Now, the question is: which blockbuster animated franchise has earned more in terms of per-film average worldwide box office total? Let’s break down the numbers.

Toy Story vs. Shrek – Franchise Box Office Comparison

First, let’s take a look at how each film in the Toy Story franchise performed at the global box office, according to data from Box Office Mojo.

1. Toy Story (1995): $401.2 million
2. Toy Story 2 (1999): $487.1 million
3. Toy Story 3 (2010): $1.067 billion
4. Toy Story 4 (2019): $1.073 billion
5. Lightyear (2022): $226.4 million

Combined Worldwide Earnings: $3.255 billion

Per-Film Average Worldwide Earnings: $651 million

Now, let’s see how the Shrek franchise performed at the worldwide box office, per Box Office Mojo data.

1. Shrek (2001): $484.9 million
2. Shrek 2 (2004): $929.1 million
3. Shrek the Third (2007): $808.3 million
4. Shrek Forever After (2010): $752.6 million
5. Puss in Boots (2011): $555 million
6. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022): $480.5 million

Combined Worldwide Earnings: $4.010 billion

Per-Film Average Worldwide Earnings: $668.3 million

Which Franchise Wins: Toy Story or Shrek?

Based on the above figures and calculations, it can be observed that the average worldwide total of all six films in the Shrek franchise is $668.3 million, which is around $17.3 million higher than the per-film average of the five films in the Toy Story franchise ($651 million).

Now, it will be interesting to see how Toy Story 5 and Shrek 5 perform at the global box office and whether their worldwide earnings will affect their per-film average in the future.

Shrek Trailer

Toy Story Trailer

Stay tuned to Koimoi for more box office updates and stories.

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