DreamWorks has crossed $400 million at the global box office with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. It is one of the biggest animated movies since the pandemic era began.
It follows the story of renowned hero and outlaw Puss in Boots. After throwing a party in the town of Del Mar, he accidentally awakens the Sleeping Giant. Afterward, he loses eight of his nine lives.
1. Global Box Office
After an exceptional start to its theatrical run, Universal/Dreamworks’ Puss in Boots: The Last Wish crossed $400 million at the Global Box Office. The film is now one of only three COVID-era animated films to pass this mark and it’s a huge achievement for the studio.
The Last Wish, which stars Antonio Banderas as the feline rogue and Salma Hayek Pinault as his love interest Kitty Softpaws, is a kinetic and narratively engaging adventure that’s so visually striking it feels like something else entirely. It’s also a film that pushes boundaries as it tackles themes that go beyond what younger kids will expect from Shrek spin-offs, and it plays out as a treatise on mortality and PTSD.
It’s a film that’s just as much about children and families as it is about heist antics, and it delivers both without ever feeling strained. As such, The Last Wish makes for a surprisingly delightful family outing that’s worth seeing for any fan of animation or fairy tales alike.
2. Domestic Box Office
Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has crossed the $400 million mark at the Global Box Office. The film has amassed $167 million in North America and $235 million internationally, breaking Black Adam’s $300 million worldwide record for an animated movie.
It’s the second fastest-ever to do so. The first to reach the mark was Spider-Man: No Way Home, which reached the milestone in 39 days.
In its second weekend of release, The Last Wish has amassed a worldwide total of $393.7 million. This puts it in third place on the list of best-performing animated films of 2022.
The sequel has also outperformed Disney’s recent animated releases, such as Strange World (2022) and Lightyear (2022), as well as Netflix’s Avatar: The Way of Water. It is expected to outstrip the opening weekend of Minions: The Rise of Gru and Sing 2 from Illumination Entertainment this year. This is the first time in six years that a Dreamworks production has outsold Disney or Pixar.
3. International Box Office
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has crossed the $400 million mark at the Global Box Office. This is a significant milestone for a Universal/DreamWorks animated title, especially considering it’s the first Animated Film of 2022 to reach this level.
The swashbuckling sequel has now earned $158.5 million at the domestic box office and $235.2 million internationally. As a result, it has now become the biggest DreamWorks Animation release in 28 international markets to date.
Meanwhile, it has also surpassed the global total of Warner Bros. Black Adam (which has an estimated $392 million).
It is also the third-biggest studio animated release in this pandemic era, following Minions: The Rise of Gru ($942M) and 2021’s Sing 2 ($413M).
As we mentioned earlier, the upcoming release should have been able to pass that $90 million budget. Fortunately, the movie has gotten a strong critical reception and a good box office performance to boot. This combination surely indicates that DreamWorks will consider further spinoffs to the Shrek franchise.
4. China Box Office
After crossing the $300 million threshold in its second weekend at the Global Box Office, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish continues to grow. The sequel is now one of the biggest animated releases in history and currently sits at number four at the worldwide box office.
It looks like the film will make it to the $400 million mark and could even reach the $600 million milestone if it carries on its current momentum. It’s now on pace to become the highest-grossing film in 2022’s pandemic-stricken box office.
The China Box Office
During the darkest days of the pandemic, when most Hollywood tentpoles were put on hold or shifted to streaming, China swept past North America in total ticket sales for the first time in movie history. However, that is likely coming to an end as Chinese audiences have grown tired of American blockbusters.