Dreamworks has had an extraordinary year, and its success has hinged on its animated franchises. Dog Man was Dreamworks Animation’s biggest release of early 2025, ushering in an impressive $146 million total for a franchise that has not yet been fully established on the silver screen, even if it is a spin-off of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.

The studio’s 2025 releases built on the success of 2024, during which the studio released The Wild Robot, Kung Fu Panda 4, and Orion and the Dark. None of these releases has achieved the same success as other recent hits, including Pixar’s Inside Out 2, but they do mark a studio that is thriving through low budgets and high expectations.

Even the live-action How To Train Your Dragon (2025) built on the success of its animated predecessor, drawing $262 million domestically, alongside $364 million overseas, for a $627 million total. With impressive totals this year, Dreamworks should also be pleased that its most recent animated release has been thriving on the streaming rental charts.

The Bad Guys 2 Is A Streaming Giant

Less than a month after its initial release, Dreamworks’ The Bad Guys 2 is excelling on rental charts. A sequel to The Bad Guys (2022), the movie sees Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Diane (Zazie Beetz), and the rest of the cast, as they continue to try to redefine their reputations.

The Bad Guys 2 has already achieved critical acclaim, thanks to an 87% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences have also been positive, offering an impressive 95% Popcornmeter total. Most critics praised the movie’s sense of humor, the engaging story, and the unique animation that builds on the original’s style.

The animated sequel earned around $150 million at the box office, but it is also drawing in substantial income through rental services. According to iTopChart, it is the #5 most-rented movie at the moment. It sits behind #1 F1: The Movie, #2 Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, #3 Superman, and #4 Jurᴀssic World Rebirth.

What This Means For The Bad Guys 2

The first Bad Guys movie made $250 million globally, and the sequel appears to be approaching a similar total. It currently sits under $150 million, but it remains on pace with the original and should see additional income through its streaming totals. It may not be a world-beater, but its $80 million budget meant that it never needed to be.

There is little compeтιтion in the foreseeable future as well, so the movie should be able to coast as the only true family-friendly animated theatrical release. While Zootopia 2 should run away with the #1 тιтle when it is released on November 26, DreamWorks Animation has months to usher families into theaters.

The Bad Guys 2 should reach a profit at around $200 million, which is a likely possibility. If so, The Bad Guys 3 could be on the horizon, which is exciting news for Dreamworks. With critical acclaim, audience engagement, rental dominance, and a positive box office trend, this franchise is on a truly positive trajectory.

At the moment, The Bad Guys 2 is doing better than Materialists, Ballerina: From the World of John Wick, Elio, and even the How To Train Your Dragon remake, which rounds out the top 10 on the charts. While it debuted surprisingly early, given its August 1 theatrical release, Dreamworks Animation should still be proud of its latest hit.