Two of the Biggest Animated Movie Franchises of All Time Are in Netflix’s U.S. Top 5 Right Now

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While moviegoing habits have evolved, animated family films consistently perform well at the box office. The huge success of films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie proves that a popular animated franchise is highly sought after in Hollywood. Studios such as DreamWorks and Illumination have long benefited from audiences’ love of animation, creating hit series like Madagascar and Despicable Me. These franchises have collectively earned billions of dollars in theaters and are now also gaining popularity on streaming platforms.

Between March 30th and April 5th, both the Madagascar and Despicable Me movie series had films in the top 10 most popular movies on Netflix in the U.S. The first Madagascar movie was third, and Minions: The Rise of Gru was fifth. Worldwide, Madagascar ranked eighth, and Despicable Me 4 was ninth.

Madagascar and Despicable Me‘s Streaming Success Explained

Netflix added all four Madagascar movies—including the three main films and Penguins of Madagascar—on April 1st, and the first Madagascar movie’s performance has been particularly strong. Even though it was only available for part of the week, it was viewed 4.9 million times, totaling 7 million hours of watch time globally. This shows how popular the franchise still is. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a new Madagascar movie—Penguins of Madagascar came out in 2014—and although a fourth main film was planned, it never ended up being made.

The Madagascar films weren’t known for rave reviews initially, though their Rotten Tomatoes scores did get better with each sequel. However, they were consistently popular with audiences and built a dedicated fanbase thanks to their bright, memorable animal characters – many of whom were voiced by well-known celebrities. The penguins were always a highlight, making the movies genuinely fun to watch. The original film’s recent success on streaming is likely due to nostalgia – it’s been over 20 years since its release – and its appeal to all ages. The popularity of films like Zootopia 2 and Hoppers proves that talking animals are a major draw for kids’ animated movies.

The success of Despicable Me isn’t much of a surprise. The franchise is still popular, and the new movie, Minions & Monsters, is expected to be a huge hit this summer. Like Madagascar, the Despicable Me movies haven’t always impressed critics, but they consistently perform well at the box office. Even the first film from 2010 earned a remarkable $543.1 million worldwide, and all the sequels have made at least $940.4 million, proving how much audiences love these movies. Given that they continue to attract viewers to theaters, it makes sense that people are watching Despicable Me films on Netflix. The Minions and their silly adventures are always a hit, making these movies great for families.

As a big animation fan, I’m not surprised Despicable Me keeps getting sequels! But I’ve been wondering if the recent popularity of Madagascar on streaming might finally push Madagascar 4 into production. I know studios shouldn’t rely too much on streaming numbers – watching at home isn’t the same as buying a movie ticket. Still, it’s a good sign that people still love those characters! It proves there’s an audience for a new movie, even after all this time. DreamWorks clearly isn’t afraid of bringing back older franchises – they’re finally making Shrek 5 almost 17 years after the last Shrek film, and we’ve had two Puss in Boots movies in the meantime! So, a new Madagascar definitely feels possible.

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2026-04-10 23:45