Universal Pictures has shifted the release date of Shrek 5 by a few months, pushing it back to December 23, 2026. This allows Minions 3, a spin-off from the Despicable Me franchise, to retain its original July 1, 2026 release date. This maintains the Despicable Me series' tradition of a July 4th weekend release.
As reported by Variety, Shrek 5 will now aim for the lucrative holiday box office in 2026, marking the franchise's return after a 16-year hiatus.
Initially announced in 2016, the sequel remained relatively quiet until 2023 when Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination, confirmed its active development, along with hints of a potential Donkey spin-off.
Eddie Murphy, the voice of Donkey, further confirmed the film's progress a year later, adding more fuel to the Donkey spin-off rumors. "We started working on Shrek 5 months ago," he stated. "I recorded the first act, and we'll be finishing it this year. Shrek is coming out, and Donkey's going to have his own movie. We're going to do Donkey as well."
The release of Shrek 5 will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the franchise, as the original film debuted in 2001. This was followed by Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), and Shrek Forever After (2010).
The popular Puss in Boots character has also starred in two successful spin-offs, the first in 2011 and the critically acclaimed Puss in Boots: The Last Wish in 2022. The latter received rave reviews, including a 9/10 score from IGN, which praised its "stunning animation" and "poignant, surprisingly mature story," calling it "the Shrek franchise's answer to Logan we didn't know we needed."
