Despite being one of the most beloved comedic talents in Hollywood history, Ben Stiller has his fair share of flops. Whether it be big-budget swings and misses, like The Watch, or long-awaited sequels that did not quite live up to the billing, like Zoolander No. 2, the 60-year-old star's resume is more of a mixed bag than some may think. One of these critical misses came in 2005, as Stiller brought to life the pernicious lion, Alex, in DreamWorks' Madagascar.
Madagascar originally came to theaters in May 2005 (releasing opposite Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith), earning largely negative reviews from critics. The animated African adventure, which took several New York City Zoo animals to the lawless jungles of Madagascar, has settled at a dismal 55% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics bristling at its hit-or-miss humor and (at times) problematic story.
More than 20 years after its initial release, though, Madagascar has become a surprise streaming hit on Netflix. Ben Stiller's 2005 DreamWorks comedy has climbed its way into the platform's Global Top 10 (via FlixPatrol), sitting in the seventh-place spot as of this writing.
In some territories, the film has peaked as high as number two on the list, despite not even being streamed on the platform in the U.S.
The 2005 romp joins hit Netflix original films (which typically get more of a push on the streamer) of the last month or so on the list, like Wake Up Dead Man, The Grinch, and The Great Flood, making its appearance in the Top 10 all the more impressive.
The first Madagascar film, despite being critically maligned, was a sizable box office hit upon release. The movie would go on to earn $556 million at the global box office, spawning two mainline sequels, a spin-off movie, and several TV projects. The franchise currently ranks behind Shrek (which is set to debut its fifth movie in 2027) and Kung Fu Panda as DreamWorks' highest-grossing movie franchises ever.
Does Madagascar Have A Future on the Big Screen?
The Madagascar movie franchise has not been heard from on the big screen in over 10 years. The last movie to grace the silver screen set within the fan-favorite (yet critically mired) animated canon came in 2014 with the release of the Penguins of Madagascar spin-off film.
The franchise has remained a constant on streaming, however. Netflix's All Hail King Julien, which centered on Sacha Baron Cohen's lemur king from the mainline film, ran on the streamer from 2014 to 2017. Peacock also had an animated Madagascar series, Madagascar: A Little Wild, which ended after eight seasons in 2022.
It is not as though the franchise has been entirely out of the public eye over the last handful of years, yet an outright Madagascar 4 remains off the Universal slate.
The studio has been on a spree of franchise filmmaking with the expansion of its Despicable Me/Minions franchise, as well as the forthcoming return of Shrek with Shrek 5. So, who is to say Madagascar could not get the same sort of treatment?
Whispers of another Madagascar sequel have been floated over the last decade and change, but nothing official has been announced. The last fans heard about a potential follow-up came in 2017, as franchise director Tom McGrath confirmed that "There are things in the works, nothing is announced yet, but I think they'll show their faces once more" (via HeyUGuys).
Of course, things remain off the books for another Madagascar movie, but with the Ben Stiller franchise still seemingly being popular among fans, as evident by its current run of success on streaming, Universal and DreamWorks would be smart to give it another look.
