Overview
- The film opened to an estimated $372.6 million worldwide over its first weekend, which Deadline reports is the biggest start of 2026 so far.
- International markets contributed $182.5 million across roughly 80 territories, playing in about 23,500 cinemas on 54,000 screens.
- It is the only animated franchise with two $350 million‑plus openings and ranks No. 2 for Illumination and for a video‑game adaptation, and No. 5 for Universal releases.
- Aggregator scores show a wide gap in reception, with Metacritic at 36/100 from 44 critics versus a 7.8/10 user score, and Rotten Tomatoes at 40% from 161 critics versus a 90% verified audience score.
- Germany delivered $15.8 million for the best Universal Animation launch there, and China opened at $8.4 million where the brand has less history due to past console limits.