2025 has been full of box office surprises, but family-friendly content has been one of the more steady categories this year so far. Things didn’t start off very strong, with the Disney live-action adaptation of Snow White struggling at the box office.
Despite this rocky beginning, however, family films recovered the following month. April saw the release of A Minecraft Movie, a PG-rated video game adaptation that became a huge hit in theaters. The film was ᴀssociated with multiple viral trends and has made just over $955 million globally.
An even more successful family film came in the form of the live-action adaptation of Lilo & Sтιтch. At the time of writing, the movie has made $975 million globally and counting, and Lilo & Sтιтch 2 has already been confirmed.
Pretty soon, another family-oriented film is getting a theatrical release. It is not expected to be nearly as big as something like Lilo & Sтιтch, but it is still part of a $1.1 billion franchise.
A New Animated Smurfs Movie Comes Out Next Week
Previous Franchise Entries Had Included Some Live-Action
Smurfs is being released in theaters next week. Directed by Chris Miller, the movie is the fourth film in the modern Smurfs feature film franchise. It features an impressive leading cast, including Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Sandra Oh, Natasha Lyonne, Jimmy Kimmel, and Octavia Spencer.
Smurfs will be released in theaters on July 18. It will be a computer-animated film, differing from some of the previous versions which were live-action and animated hybrids.
Smurfs Movies Have Been Surprisingly Successful
Their Collective Earnings Are Impressive
While they have not achieved the same levels of success as something like Despicable Me, the Smurfs movies have actually been huge box office successes. Collectively, The Smurfs, The Smurfs 2, and The Smurfs: The Lost Village have made over $1.1 billion. This is a significant milestone for an animated franchise.
2025’s Smurfs Movie Needs To End A Franchise Decline
The Box Office Numbers Have Been Going Down
Though they have crossed the $1 billion mark as a franchise, the Smurfs movies have not built up as much consistent success as one would hope. In fact, each movie has made less and less money overall. There was a dramatic decrease from the 2011 feature’s $563.7 million worldwide gross to the third film’s $197.1 million total.
|
Box Office Performance And Budgets Of Smurfs Movies |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Movie |
Budget |
Domestic Box Office |
Worldwide Box Office |
|
The Smurfs (2011) |
$110 million |
$142.6 million |
$563.7 million |
|
The Smurfs 2 (2013) |
$105 million |
$71 million |
$347.4 million |
|
Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017) |
$60 million |
$45 million |
$197.1 million |
If there is any hope for the future of this franchise, 2025’s Smurfs will have to change this trend. These films have substantial enough budgets that another sub-$200 million haul will likely be insufficient. Otherwise, it will be clear that viewers have simply lost interest in these characters.
Will 2025’s Smurfs Movie Be A Success?
The Track Record Is Not A Great Sign
Smurfs may have some high hopes to turn things around for the franchise, but it is far from a sure-fire hit. Rather, the movie faces pressure to do well in a very busy time for family-friendly summer blockbusters. It is hard to say whether the animated film can still come out on top, but the Smurfs franchise box office pattern does not set it up for success.
