Anyone counting down to the June 09, 2025 release date ofShrek 5is going to have to hold out a few months longer.Shrek 5was first announced in 2024, two years after the critically acclaimedPuss in Boots: The Last Wishteased a return to the kingdom of Far, Far Away.
Shrek 5is a highly anticipated continuation of the record-breaking animated franchise, which produced four movies in nine years before seemingly ending for good. But, when the 2024 announcement promised the returns of franchise icons Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, plus newcomers like Zendaya, some found the news sweeter than true love’s first kiss.
But whileShrek 5is still on the way, the wait for the film has grown.Universal Pictures has updated theShrek 5release date on its calendar to July 21, 2025.
What This Means For Shrek 5
As of this writing, Universal’s website listsShrek 5for release on August 16, 2025, but hasn’t put anything else in the August 10, 2025 slot. Among Universal’s slate,Shrek 5now sits close toHow to Train Your Dragon 2(coming June 11), and will also be released shortly afterSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which hits theaters June 25.
Yet, somehow, that’s looking like less competition thanShrek 5would have faced, given the stacked lineup of films competing for theFall 2026 box office.If it had kept with the December 23 release date,Shrek 5would arrive days afterAvengers: DoomsdayandDune: Messiah,andIce Age 6, all of which currently release on December 18.
Our Take On Shrek 5’s New Release Date
It looks as though Universal is hoping for theirnextShrekstoryto become a 2027 summer blockbuster. And, as someone old enough to have seen the firstShrekin theaters (multiple times), I’m fascinated to find out if it will.
In theory,Shrek 5should be huge. The first movie came out in 2001, making it a perfect intergenerational experience for aging Millennials who want to share their favorite movies that weren’tAmerican PieorEurotripwith their children.
Then, there is theShrekmeme culture that has proliferated on the internet during the decade-plus that Universal hasn’t been telling their own stories about everyone’s favorite curmudgeonly ogre.Shrek 5should be an easy success, but there’s always the possibility of an upset, especially if new audiences are required to watch four other films to get up to speed.
It’s likely thatShrek 5will be the summer blockbuster that Universal seems to envision, and it could only be this writer’s own fears that a favorite childhood franchise could return thanks to meme culture only to face aMorbius-esque fate.
