After So-So Kung Fu Panda 4, Is Shrek 5 a Good Idea?
Despite some nice box office, Kung Fu Panda 4 was pretty dubious, while Eddie Murphy confirms a fifth Shrek movie.
Summary
- Kung Fu Panda 4 is currently the fourth highest grossing movie of the year, but has a pretty low IMDb rating.
- Eddie Murphy recently confirmed the expansion of the Shrek franchise.
- One of the most popular movie franchises for generations, Shrek could be ruined by the new installment.
Having earned over $545 million, Kung Fu Panda 4 is currently fourth on the list of top-grossing films of 2024. Considering that the other top films are Inside Out 2, Dune: Part Two, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, it is still a very nice position that shows the unwavering popularity of the movie. But despite the financial success of the fourth installment of the hit DreamWorks franchise, the film received a mixed reaction from audiences and critics.
The first three films about the adorably awkward panda Po, aka the Dragon Warrior, have respectable IMDb ratings of 7.6, 7.3, and 7.1, respectively. Kung Fu Panda 4, on the other hand, has only a 6.3 rating. With that in mind, the news that DreamWorks' other most popular franchise, Shrek, is getting a new installment sounds pretty worrisome.
Eddie Murphy Confirms New Shrek Movie and Donkey-Centric Film
In a recent interview, Eddie Murphy, who has voiced Shrek's best friend Donkey since 2001 when the first movie in the franchise was released, confirmed that another Shrek film is in the works. Moreover, his character will also be getting his own movie in the near future.
'I recorded the first act, and we'll be doing it this year, we'll finish it up. Shrek is coming out, and Donkey's gonna have his own movie. We're gonna do Donkey as well,' the actor said.
A National Treasure
Currently, the Shrek franchise includes four films about the titular ogre, the last of which was released in 2010, and two films about Antonio Banderas' charismatic Puss in Boots, the last of which was released in 2022. At this point, Shrek has become a movie of great cultural significance. So much so that it is now preserved in the National Film Registry of the US Library of Congress.
More importantly, Shrek is beloved by generations of viewers. And as exciting as it is to have a new installment in the franchise, it could very well ruin the film's legacy by proving to be more disappointing than exhilarating, as Kung Fu Panda 4 ended up being. Maybe it would have been better to let that sleeping dog lie, but Shrek 5 is coming, and we can only hope that it won't be a complete disaster. On the bright side, the original voice cast, which includes Mike Meyers and Cameron Diaz in addition to Murphy and Banderas, is said to be returning.
Source: Collider.