We last saw Shrek and Fiona on the big screen, living happily ever after, six years ago. Recent developments in NBCUniversal suggest that there might be a revival of the film franchise.
Hollywood news site Deadline reports that with multinational media company Comcast acquiring DreamWorks Animation (DWA) in April for $3.8 billion, Steve Burke from NBCUniversal (a division of Comcast) hinted that they are hoping to release at least four animated films a year, including the fifth installment of the Shrek franchise.
Bearing in mind $250 million worth of overhead costs, NBCUniversal has stressed on the release of more films every year, all of them being ‘spectacular‘.
Moreover, Illumination Entertainment’s Chris Meledandri has been roped in to “creatively resurrect Shrek”, especially since Universal Studios’ films generate more profit in China than in the United States.
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Released in 2001, the first Shrek film was a hit commercially and among critics, raking in over $484 million worldwide on a $60 million budget. Succeeding that, was Shrek 2 in 2004 that earned double the amount at the box office with some even calling it better than the original.
The third installment of the film, Shrek the Third (2007) was considered the worst of the Shrek Franchise, faring average at the box office. The final Shrek film in 2010 fared relatively better than the third, raking in more than $750 million in the box office.
Meanwhile, reports have not confirmed whether the lead cast members of Mike Meyers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Fiona), Eddie Murphy (Donkey) and Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots) are keen on returning.
Nevertheless, the revival of a franchise appears to be in vogue with Jurassic World, Star Wars and The Terminating returning to the big screen in 2015, Sony reviving Ghostbusters with an all-female cast, and Paramount Pictures’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles released this year.
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