Overlay: Shrek the Third (2007) Financial Performance

← Return to Rewinder: AI Analysis of AI Analysis of Film

Errors	Missing	Unverified	Supported
1	2	0	10

How were these counts calculated?

Errors (1)

The 404% ROI figure is derived from the calculation: ($808M Box Office - $160M Bwrong-topic

Missing (2)

Critical Reception Nuance: The summary mentions 'mixed reviews' but omits the silost-nuance ROI Calculation Methodology: The summary fails to correctly identify that the 40lost-nuance

#Q ORIGINAL QUESTION

Regarding the film Shrek the Third (2007), how much did the film make at both the box office and after (detail breakdown), and how did that compare to its budget?

#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE

Released in May 2007, Shrek the Third was a massive commercial success, despite receiving mixed critical reviews. Below is a detailed breakdown of its financial performance at the box office and in ancillary markets.

1. Box Office Performance

The film was a global blockbuster, briefly holding records for animated openings.

Worldwide Gross: ~$808.3 million (various sources cite between $807M and $813M).
Domestic (North America): $322,719,944 (approx. 40% of the total).
International: $485,590,243 (approx. 60% of the total).
Opening Weekend: It earned $121.6 million domestically, which set the record for the highest opening weekend for an animated film at the time—a record it held for nine years until Finding Dory (2016).

2. Post-Theatrical (Ancillary) Revenue

Revenue after the box office was driven by home media, licensing, and merchandising.

Home Media (DVD & Blu-ray): Domestic home video sales reached approximately $179.1 million. By the end of 2007 alone, DreamWorks reported shipping 15.6 million units worldwide.
Video Games: Activision published a tie-in game across multiple platforms (Wii, PS2, Xbox 360, etc.). The game was a significant commercial driver, shipping 2 million copies.
Merchandising & Consumer Products: The film was supported by a massive marketing blitz including toys, books, and apparel. In DreamWorks' 2007 Q4 report, the studio noted $11.7 million in revenue from consumer products and cost reimbursements in that quarter alone, though the total lifecycle merchandise revenue for the film is estimated to be significantly higher within the broader $3.5+ billion Shrek franchise.
Television & Music Licensing: The film continues to generate "long-tail" revenue through television syndication and streaming rights. Music royalties from the Shrek franchise (including Shrek the Third) remain active, with rights-holders still receiving payments for public performances on TV and at theme parks.

3. Budget vs. Profit Comparison

Production Budget: $160 million.
Marketing Costs: Estimated at $100 million (DreamWorks utilized a high-saturation campaign).
Break-even Point: Industry analysts estimated the film needed to gross approximately $260 million to cover production and marketing.
Return on Investment (ROI): With total box office receipts over 5x its production budget, the film's theatrical run alone yielded a significant profit. When accounting for home video and licensing, the film achieved an estimated ROI of roughly 404%, marking it as one of the most profitable ventures for DreamWorks Animation to date.

Financial Comparison at a Glance

Category	Amount
Production Budget	$160 million
Global Box Office	$808.3 million
Home Video Revenue	$179.1 million
Total Estimated Revenue	~$1 billion+
Status	Highly Profitable

The film's performance ensured that despite critical disappointment, the "five-film arc" Jeffrey Katzenberg originally planned for the franchise remained financially viable, leading directly to the production of Shrek Forever After (2010).

#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)

[1] Box Office Mojo lists the worldwide gross as $808,310,187.

[2] Domestic gross was $322,719,944.

[3] International gross was $485,590,243.

[4] The $121.6M opening was a record for animated films until Finding Dory (2016) opened to $136.2M.

[5] The Numbers reports domestic DVD sales of $179,055,686.

[6] DreamWorks Animation Q4 2007 earnings report states 15.6 million units were shipped worldwide.

[7] Activision reported shipping 2 million copies of the video game.

[8] DreamWorks Q4 2007 report cites $11.7M revenue from consumer products/cost reimbursements.

[9] Production budget is widely cited as $160 million.

[10] Marketing budgets are rarely disclosed precisely, but $100M is a standard estimate for a major animated tentpole of this era and is cited by secondary sources.

[11] The source (Saturation.io) states the film needed to earn $260M to break even, but this refers to recouping the total cost (Budget + Marketing), not the Box Office Gross required (which would be higher due to theater splits).

[12] The 404% ROI figure is derived from the calculation: ($808M Box Office - $160M Budget) / $160M Budget. It does NOT include home video or licensing revenue, contrary to the summary's claim.

#O MISSED POINTS & OVERSIGHTS

Low

Critical Reception Nuance

The summary mentions 'mixed reviews' but omits the significant drop in Rotten Tomatoes score compared to Shrek 2 (from ~89% to ~41%), which contextualizes the 'disappointment' mentioned later.

Medium

ROI Calculation Methodology

The summary fails to correctly identify that the 404% ROI figure is a simple theatrical multiplier, not a comprehensive profit calculation including ancillary revenue.

#C RELATED QUERIES

#01 What was the specific Rotten Tomatoes score drop between Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third?

#02 How much did Shrek Forever After make compared to Shrek the Third?

#03 Did DreamWorks Animation stock price change after Shrek the Third's release?

#S SOURCES

wikipedia.org boxofficemojo.com wikipedia.org thethings.com theguardian.com sky.com byu.edu reddit.com researchgate.net cbsnews.com fandom.com

#R ORIGINAL AI RESPONSE

▼

Released in May 2007, *Shrek the Third* was a massive commercial success, despite receiving mixed critical reviews. Below is a detailed breakdown of its financial performance at the box office and in ancillary markets. ### **1. Box Office Performance** The film was a global blockbuster, briefly holding records for animated openings. * **Worldwide Gross:** ~$808.3 million (various sources cite between $807M and $813M). * **Domestic (North America):** $322,719,944 (approx. 40% of the total). * **International:** $485,590,243 (approx. 60% of the total). * **Opening Weekend:** It earned **$121.6 million** domestically, which set the record for the highest opening weekend for an animated film at the time—a record it held for nine years until *Finding Dory* (2016). ### **2. Post-Theatrical (Ancillary) Revenue** Revenue after the box office was driven by home media, licensing, and merchandising. * **Home Media (DVD & Blu-ray):** Domestic home video sales reached approximately **$179.1 million**. By the end of 2007 alone, DreamWorks reported shipping **15.6 million units** worldwide. * **Video Games:** Activision published a tie-in game across multiple platforms (Wii, PS2, Xbox 360, etc.). The game was a significant commercial driver, shipping **2 million copies**. * **Merchandising & Consumer Products:** The film was supported by a massive marketing blitz including toys, books, and apparel. In DreamWorks' 2007 Q4 report, the studio noted **$11.7 million** in revenue from consumer products and cost reimbursements in that quarter alone, though the total lifecycle merchandise revenue for the film is estimated to be significantly higher within the broader $3.5+ billion Shrek franchise. * **Television & Music Licensing:** The film continues to generate "long-tail" revenue through television syndication and streaming rights. Music royalties from the *Shrek* franchise (including *Shrek the Third*) remain active, with rights-holders still receiving payments for public performances on TV and at theme parks. ### **3. Budget vs. Profit Comparison** * **Production Budget:** **$160 million**. * **Marketing Costs:** Estimated at **$100 million** (DreamWorks utilized a high-saturation campaign). * **Break-even Point:** Industry analysts estimated the film needed to gross approximately **$260 million** to cover production and marketing. * **Return on Investment (ROI):** With total box office receipts over 5x its production budget, the film's theatrical run alone yielded a significant profit. When accounting for home video and licensing, the film achieved an estimated ROI of roughly **404%**, marking it as one of the most profitable ventures for DreamWorks Animation to date. ### **Financial Comparison at a Glance** | Category | Amount | | :--- | :--- | | **Production Budget** | $160 million | | **Global Box Office** | $808.3 million | | **Home Video Revenue** | $179.1 million | | **Total Estimated Revenue** | ~$1 billion+ | | **Status** | **Highly Profitable** | The film's performance ensured that despite critical disappointment, the "five-film arc" Jeffrey Katzenberg originally planned for the franchise remained financially viable, leading directly to the production of *Shrek Forever After* (2010).

#A DIRECT ANSWER (VERIFIED ANALYSIS)

▼

Shrek the Third (2007) grossed $808.3 million worldwide ($322.7M domestic, $485.6M international) against a $160 million production budget. It set the record for the highest animated opening weekend at the time with $121.6 million, a record held until 2016. Post-theatrical revenue was substantial, with ~$179.1 million in domestic DVD sales and 15.6 million units shipped worldwide in 2007. While the film was highly profitable (often cited with a ~404% return based on box office vs. budget), the break-even point for total costs (including ~$100M marketing) required significantly more than the $260M cost figure implies in gross receipts.

OVERLAY REPORT