 Logo used since 2020 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | February 25, 1995; 30 years ago (1995-02-25) |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | |
| Parent | Paramount Pictures |
Nickelodeon Movies Inc.[1] is an Americanfilm production company based inLos Angeles and owned byParamount Skydance Corporation. Originally founded on February 25, 1995, it serves as both the film production division ofNickelodeon Productions and the family film distribution label ofParamount Pictures. They also co-produce films withParamount Animation, the animation division of Paramount.
The division has earned numerous accolades including twoAcademy Awards, aGolden Globe Award, over 13Saturn Awards nominations, aPeople's Choice Award, and four in-house honors via theNickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Since its launch, over40 feature films have been produced for theatrical release and starting in August 2021, the studio has produced films for streaming onParamount+ andNetflix.
In 1993, Nickelodeon agreed to a two-year contract with20th Century Fox to make feature films. The joint venture would mostly produce new material, though a Nickelodeon executive did not rule out the possibility of making films based onThe Ren & Stimpy Show,Rugrats andDoug.[2] None of the movies were produced due to the 1994 acquisition of Paramount Pictures by Nickelodeon's parent company,Viacom, and they would distribute the movies instead. With the creative differences withJohn Kricfalusi, the creator ofRen & Stimpy and an inability to market that property in a family-friendly manner instead of a "cynical and gross humor" scuttled the film.[3][4] However, Paramount and Viacom would go forward and start development onThe Rugrats Movie a year after the acquisition.
The Nickelodeon version of theDoug film was not made due to the acquisition of the show's production studio,Jumbo Pictures, byThe Walt Disney Company in 1996. With this, the show moved to Disney'sABC network and new seasons aired as a part of its programming blockDisney's One Saturday Morning asDisney's Doug. In 1999,Walt Disney Pictures released a film finale to the series,Doug's 1st Movie.
Nickelodeon Movies was founded on February 25, 1995. On July 10, 1996, the studio released its first film,Harriet the Spy, a spy-comedy film based on the 1964novel of the same name. On July 25, 1997, the studio released its second film,Good Burger, a comedy film, starringKenan Thompson,Kel Mitchell,Abe Vigoda,Dan Schneider,Shar Jackson,Josh Server,Lori Beth Denberg, Jan Schweiterman,Linda Cardellini andSinbad. It was based on theGood Burger sketch on Nickelodeon's popular sketch comedy seriesAll That.
On November 20, 1998, the studio releasedThe Rugrats Movie, which was Nickelodeon Movies' first animated film and the first Nicktoon to be shown in theaters. It received mixed critical reception, but despite this, the movie became a box office success, becoming the first animated film not released byDisney to ever gross over $100 million domestically.[5] The success of the film led to two sequels.
On February 11, 2000, the studio releasedSnow Day, a comedy film starringChevy Chase,Chris Elliott, Zena Grey,Josh Peck,Mark Webber,Schuyler Fisk,Jade Yorker andEmmanuelle Chriqui. This film met with negative reviews, yet it grossed $62,464,731 worldwide. Nine months later, the studio releasedRugrats in Paris: The Movie on November 17, 2000. It was the first sequel toThe Rugrats Movie and grossed $76,507,756 at the domestic box-office and $103,291,131 worldwide.[6] The film received favorable reviews, becoming the most critically acclaimedRugrats film to date.
On December 21, 2001, the studio released its first CGI-animated film,Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. It was based on a series of shorts that aired on Nickelodeon in 1998. It became a critical and box office success, earning $80,936,232 in the United States and $102,992,536 worldwide. It stars voice actorsDebi Derryberry,Rob Paulsen,Carolyn Lawrence,Jeffrey Garcia, andCandi Milo, and co-starredMartin Short andPatrick Stewart. On March 24, 2002,Jimmy Neutron was nominated for the firstAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature, but lost toShrek.[7] It was the first Nickelodeon film to be nominated for anAcademy Award. The success of the film spawned a TV series,The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, which aired onNickelodeon from 2002 to 2006.
On March 29, 2002, the studio releasedClockstoppers, a sci-fi action film, starringJesse Bradford,Paula Garcés, andFrench Stewart. This film received mixed-to-negative reviews and failed to recoup its budget in theaters. On June 28, Nickelodeon Movies releasedHey Arnold!: The Movie, starringthe series'original cast members and guest starringPaul Sorvino as Scheck, the CEO of a real estate company called Future Tech Industries. The film received negative reviews and grossed a small profit of $15.2 million.[8] It was originally going to be a TV film entitledArnold Saves the Neighborhood, but executives ofParamount Pictures decided to release this film theatrically. It was the first animated film from Nickelodeon to get a PG rating.
In 2002 and 2003, the studio, along withKlasky Csupo, released two films based on popular TV shows,The Wild Thornberrys Movie andRugrats Go Wild, respectively.The Wild Thornberrys Movie was released on December 20, 2002, starring the show's original cast members,Lacey Chabert,Tim Curry,Jodi Carlisle,Danielle Harris,Michael "Flea" Balzary, andTom Kane. This film received positive reviews and was a moderate box office success, grossing $40.1 million domestically and $60.7 million worldwide. On March 23, 2003, this film was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Original Song.[9]Rugrats Go Wild, a crossover ofRugrats andThe Wild Thornberrys, was released on June 13, 2003. This film met with negative critical reception and was a minor box office success, unlike previousRugrats movies, earning $39.4 million in the United States and $55.4 million worldwide. This film is also the onlyRugrats film to receive a PG rating.[10]
On November 19, 2004, Nickelodeon releasedThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, based on the popular Nickelodeon television series,SpongeBob SquarePants. This film received positive reviews and grossed $85.4 million in the United States and $140.2 million worldwide.[11] The success of this film led to a sequel,[12] and it was adapted into various media, including itsown video game,soundtrack, books, and toy line.
Nickelodeon Movies had purchased thefilm rights of theA Series of Unfortunate Events book series in May 2000.[13]Paramount Pictures, owner of Nickelodeon Movies, agreed to co-finance, along withScott Rudin.[14] Various directors, includingTerry Gilliam andRoman Polanski, were interested in making the film. One of authorDaniel Handler's, Lemony Snicket's real name, favorite candidates wasGuy Maddin. In June 2002,Barry Sonnenfeld was hired to direct. He was chosen because he had previously collaborated with Rudin and because of hisblack comedy directing style as seen in his filmsThe Addams Family,Addams Family Values andGet Shorty.[15] Sonnenfeld referred to theUnfortunate Events books as his favorite children's stories.[16] The director hired Handler to write the script[17] with the intention of makingLemony Snicket as a musical, and castJim Carrey as Count Olaf in September 2002.[17] Sonnenfeld eventually left over budget concerns in January 2003, and director Brad Silberling took over.This film was released on December 17, 2004, a month afterThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie was released, to received positive reviews and was a moderate box office success. This film won theAcademy Award for Best Makeup in 2005, becoming the first film from Nickelodeon Movies to win an Academy Award.
In 2005, the studio andParamount Classics purchased a documentary film,Mad Hot Ballroom, at the 2005Slamdance Film Festival inPark City, Utah. It became the studios' first (and so far only) documentary film, the first Nickelodeon feature to be released outside of the mainParamount Pictures label, and their only film to have alimited theatrical release. The movie made back its low budget and was also a critical success.
Several months later, the studio and Paramount Pictures released their first co-production with bothColumbia Pictures andMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer and released a family comedy film,Yours, Mine and Ours, a remake of the1968 film of the same name. This film starsDennis Quaid andRene Russo. This film was critically panned and failed to make a profit in theatres.
On June 16, 2006, Nickelodeon released the wrestling comedy filmNacho Libre. It was very loosely based on the story ofFray Tormenta. This film starsJack Black,Héctor Jiménez, andAna de la Reguera. This film met with mixed critical reception, but was a box office success, earning $80,197,993 in the domestic box office and grossing $99,255,460 worldwide. A sequel to this film is being considered.[18][19]
Two months later, the studio released another animated film,Barnyard, starring the voices ofKevin James, as Otis, a carefree cow who loves throwing parties,Courteney Cox as Daisy, a kind-hearted cow,David Koechner as Dag, an evil coyote,Sam Elliott as Ben, Otis's father and the leader of the barnyard,Danny Glover as Miles, an old mule, among other Los Angeles voice actors. This film met with negative critical reception, but was a moderate box office success, earning $72,637,803 at the United States box office and grossing $116,476,887 worldwide. LikeJimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, the film's success has spawned a TV show,Back at the Barnyard, which ran from 2007 to 2011 onNickelodeon, longer thanThe Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.Chris Hardwick replaced Kevin James in the role of Otis.
On December 15, 2006, the studio releasedCharlotte's Web, a family drama film based onE. B. White'sbook of the same name, starringDakota Fanning,Kevin Anderson,Beau Bridges, and the voices ofDominic Scott Kay,Julia Roberts,Steve Buscemi,John Cleese,Oprah Winfrey,Robert Redford,Reba McEntire,Kathy Bates, withThomas Haden Church andCedric the Entertainer. This film became a critical and box office success, earning $82,985,708 in the United States and $144,877,632 worldwide. This was Nickelodeon's first G-rated film in five years and first live-action film rated G, as well as the studio's highest-grossing film with that rating.Dakota Fanning won a Blimp Award for Favorite Movie Actress at the2007 Kids' Choice Awards.
Two years later, on February 14, 2008, the studio releasedThe Spiderwick Chronicles, a fantasy drama film based on the bestsellingbook of the same name, starringFreddie Highmore,Sarah Bolger,Mary-Louise Parker,Martin Short,Nick Nolte, andSeth Rogen. This film was released in both regular andIMAX theaters and received favorable reviews and was a box office success, earning $71,195,053 in the United States and $162,839,667 outside of the United States.[20]
On July 28, 2008, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies released a coming-of-age comedy film,Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging, based on two bestselling British novels byLouise Rennison,Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging andIt's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers. The film met with positive reviews and was a box office success. It was released in theaters in the United Kingdom, earning £8,647,770 and grossing £13,835,569 worldwide. To date, it has had a direct-to-DVD release in the United States and has made its U.S. premiere onNick at Nite on March 12, 2009. It was also the first film from Nickelodeon Movies to receive a PG-13 rating.
On January 16, 2009,Hotel for Dogs was released under Paramount'sDreamWorks label, starringEmma Roberts,Jake T. Austin,Johnny Simmons,Kyla Pratt,Troy Gentile, withLisa Kudrow,Kevin Dillon andDon Cheadle. It was based on the 1971novel of the same name byLois Duncan. This film received mixed reviews from film critics, but was a box office success, earning $73,034,460 at the United States box office and grossing $117,000,198 worldwide. Five months later on June 12, Paramount Pictures released Nickelodeon Movies'Imagine That, a comedy-drama film starringEddie Murphy,Thomas Haden Church,Nicole Ari Parker,Martin Sheen,Marin Hinkle, andYara Shahidi. The film received mixed reviews, which criticized Murphy's performance, and failed to profit at the box office.
On January 8, 2007,Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies announced that they had signedM. Night Shyamalan to write, direct and produce a trilogy of live-action films based on theAvatar: The Last Airbender series, the first of which would encompass the main characters' adventures in Book One.[21]The film was later released in theaters in3D on July 1, 2010, and was universally panned by critics, fans, and even from audiences who weren't familiar with the TV series and is often consideredone of the worst movies ever made. A year later, it won fiveRazzies, includingworst screenplay,worst director andworst picture of the year. This was the studio's first feature film released in 3-D. On its opening day in the United States,The Last Airbender made $16 million, ranking fifth overall for Thursday openings.[22] Despite negative critical reception, the film was a box office success, and grossed $131,601,062 in the United States box office, also grossed $187,340,196 in other countries, making for a total of $318,941,258 worldwide. That planned trilogy was finally scrapped in 2018, to make way for a new, unrelated, live-action series produced byNetflix.
On March 4, 2011, Nickelodeon Movies releasedRango, an animated western comedy film, directed byGore Verbinski and starringJohnny Depp,Isla Fisher,Bill Nighy,Abigail Breslin,Alfred Molina,Harry Dean Stanton,Ray Winstone,Timothy Olyphant andNed Beatty. The film was produced byGore Verbinski's production company Blind Wink, andGraham King's GK Films. The animation was created byIndustrial Light & Magic (ILM), marking its first full-length animated feature. ILM usually doesvisual effects for live-action films.[23] It was also the first animated film for Verbinski. During voice recording, the actors received costumes and sets to "give them the feel of the Wild West"; starJohnny Depp had 20 days in which to voice Rango and the filmmakers scheduled the supporting actors to interact with him.[24] Verbinski said his attempt withRango was to do a "small" film after the large-scalePirates of the Caribbean trilogy, but that he underestimated how painstaking and time-consuming animated filmmaking is.[23][24] This film has met universal acclaim from critics and general audiences alike and was the first Nickelodeon film to win theAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature, ten years on since the category was introduced whenJimmy Neutron was nominated. The success ofRango led Paramount to create its own animation studio,Paramount Animation.
Nine months later, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies partnered withColumbia Pictures once again and releasedThe Adventures of Tintin, a performance-captured animated3D film, directed bySteven Spielberg and produced byPeter Jackson, with the voices ofJamie Bell,Andy Serkis,Daniel Craig,Simon Pegg andNick Frost, and based on three from thecomic book series of the same name byHergé,The Crab with the Golden Claws (1941),The Secret of the Unicorn (1943), andRed Rackham's Treasure (1944). This film was released in 3D andIMAX 3D theaters, as well normal "2D" theaters, and earned $77,591,831 in North America and $296,402,120 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $373,993,951.[25] It also was studio's first animated film to be shown in 3D.John Williams, the composer for the film, was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Original Score. This film became the first non-Pixar film to win aGolden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, and was the first Nickelodeon film to do so.
On February 28, 2012, a sequel toThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie titledThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was announced to be in production and was scheduled to be released in 2015.[needs update]Philippe Dauman, the president and CEO of the studio's parent companyViacom, told sources:[26]
"We will be releasing aSpongeBob movie at the end of 2014, which will serve to start off or be one of our films that starts off our new animation effort."
Dauman also once again said that the Paramount animation productions would be a new opportunity for his company as they would each cost less than $100 million, and the animation unit would only have 30 to 40 people, allowing for good financial returns and profits. Thanks to modern technology, the films still look "great" despite the lower cost, he said. He also lauded his studio team for winning an animation Oscar forRango, the studio's first fully owned CGI effort. "We're very proud of that," he said.[26][27]
The sequel was directed byPaul Tibbitt, written byJonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, produced byMary Parent, and executive-produced by the series' creator,Stephen Hillenburg.[28] The series' cast members reprised their roles from the first film.[29] The sequel was animated using the same animation style (traditional animation) asthe TV show.[30]
In 2012, following the news of theViacom buyout of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, it was announced that Nickelodeon would producea new film through Paramount Pictures with an expected release date sometime in 2012.[31] In late May 2011, it was announced that Paramount and Nickelodeon had broughtMichael Bay and hisPlatinum Dunes partnersBrad Fuller andAndrew Form on to produce the next film that would reboot thefilm series.[32] Bay, Fuller, and Form would produce alongside Walker and Mednick. For the script, the studio originally hiredArt Marcum and Matt Holloway to write the film for close to a million dollars. A year later the studio turned to writers Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec to rewrite the script.[32][33] In February 2012, Jonathan Liebesman was brought into negotiations to direct the film. It was released on August 8, 2014.
On October 26, 2012, the studio released a Halloween comedy film,Fun Size, starringVictoria Justice,Johnny Knoxville, andThomas Mann. This film met with negative reviews and was a box office failure. It grossed $11.4 million and is the lowest wide-grossed film ever produced by Nickelodeon Movies.
Areboot ofTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles opened on August 8, 2014. It was the biggest opening weekend for any movie produced by Nickelodeon Movies, grossing over $65 million in its first three days of release in the United States. It has since become Nickelodeon Movies's highest-grossing movie domestically (in North America) and worldwide, with over $191 million domestically and a total of $493.3 million worldwide.[citation needed]
On February 6, 2015,The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, the secondfilm based onSpongeBob SquarePants, was released. The film grossed almost $163 million in the United States and $323.4 million worldwide, making it the third-most successful film produced by the studio.
On June 3, 2016, the studio releasedTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. The film was met with mixed reviews and grossed $240.6 million worldwide.
Nickelodeon Movies was also involved in the filmMonster Trucks, though merely as a label partner as Paramount vacillated several times about including the Nickelodeon Moviesvanity card within the film. It was released on January 13, 2017, and was unsuccessful at the box office.
An original animated feature produced byParamount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies in association withIlion Animation Studios, titledWonder Park, released on March 15, 2019, after several changes in its release due to internal corporate politics, with reviews being mixed, praising the animation and voice acting while criticizing the story and tone, grossing $119 million against a budget of $80–100 million, and a subsequent planned animated series[34] was shelved.
On August 9, 2019, the studio released the first film based on Nick Jr.'sDora the Explorer, titledDora and the Lost City of Gold. Produced byParamount Players, it was directed byJames Bobin. It received positive reviews and was a box office success.
Nickelodeon Movies distributed an original feature calledPlaying with Fire, starringJohn Cena, and directed byAndy Fickman. The film was released on November 8, 2019. It received negative reviews but was a modest box office success.
A thirdSpongeBob film,Sponge on the Run, was released in Canadian theaters on August 14, 2020, and digitally onNetflix in other territories on November 5, 2020, followed by a release via PVOD and onParamount+, in the United States, on March 4, 2021, following theCOVID-19 pandemic.[35][36] The film was directed and co-written by former writerTim Hill. It was the lastSpongeBob film to involve series creator Stephen Hillenburg, who died on November 26, 2018, fromALS.[37][38][39]
On May 19, 2019, afilm based onPaw Patrol—a Canadian series aired byNick Jr. in the United States—was announced. The film was produced in Canada bySpin Master Entertainment,[40] with Nickelodeon Movies signing on to present the film internationally. Unlike previous films from Nickelodeon Movies, the copyright toPAW Patrol: The Movie is not owned by Paramount, with Spin Master owning the copyright and Paramount/Nickelodeon only serving as distributors. The film was directed and co-written byCal Brunker, and it was released in both Canada and the United States on August 20, 2021, and simultaneously streaming on Paramount+.[41] The film received positive reviews and was a box office success.
Additionally, the studio also released two direct to streaming movies:The Loud House Movie, a film adaptation based on Nickelodeon'spopular Nicktoon of the same name for Netflix, which was released on August 20, 2021, the same day as thePaw Patrol movie. The film received praise for animation, acting and songs though some criticized the plot. The other film,The J Team, a musical comedy starringJoJo Siwa was released onParamount+ on September 3, 2021, as an original film.
Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, directed byRob Minkoff and Mark Koetsier and starringMichael Cera,Ricky Gervais,Mel Brooks,George Takei,Aasif Mandvi,Gabriel Iglesias,Djimon Hounsou,Michelle Yeoh, Kylie Kuioka, andSamuel L. Jackson was released theatrically on July 15, 2022, in the United States and other territories.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie was released onNetflix on August 5, 2022.
On July 12, 2021, it was revealed thatBlue's Big City Adventure, a live-action/animated hybrid movie based onBlue's Clues & You!, would be made to mark the 25th anniversary of the franchise. Directed by Matt Stawski and written byAngela Santomero and Liz Maccie, the film began production in summer 2021.[42] The film was released onParamount+ on November 18, 2022.[43]
On November 25, 2022, a sports comedy starringMarsai Martin titledFantasy Football was released on Paramount+.
On July 27, 2023, a sequel film to the television seriesZoey 101, titledZoey 102, starring many of the original cast, was released on Paramount+.
On August 2, 2023, a CG-animated reboot of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, titledTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, was released. It was a collaboration between Nickelodeon Movies andPoint Grey Pictures and directed byJeff Rowe.
The sequel toPaw Patrol: The Movie, titledPaw Patrol: The Mighty Movie was released on September 29, 2023, with Cal Brunker returning as director and Jennifer Dodge, Laura Clunie and Toni Stevens as producers.[44]
In March 2023,Good Burger 2 was announced, with Thompson and Mitchell reprising their roles. The film was released on Paramount+ on November 22, 2023.[45]
A follow-up film to theLoud House spin-off seriesThe Casagrandes, titledThe Casagrandes Movie, was released on Netflix on March 22, 2024.
The first of threeSpongeBob SquarePants spin-off films, titledSaving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie, was released on Netflix on August 2, 2024.[46][47]
In June 2024, Netflix announcedPlankton: The Movie, a spin-off film centered on the antagonist character Plankton. The film was released on March 7, 2025. It was directed by David Needham and written by Kaz,Chris Viscardi, and Mr. Lawrence (the voice of Plankton), from a story by Lawrence.[48]
Nickelodeon Movies is working withAvatar Studios to make a theatrical animated film titledThe Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender,[49] alongside 2 other animated films that will be released byParamount Pictures, with one of the films, centered on the original characters, beginning production in October 2022. It will serve as the first project from Avatar Studios and is scheduled to be released on October 9, 2026.[50]
On March 2, 2021,Yokai Samba, a film previously in development atDreamWorks Animation, had been picked up by the studio.[51]
On August 2, 2021,Paramount Pictures announced that a newTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action film was in the works withColin Jost andCasey Jost penning the script and Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Scott Mednick and Galen Walker signing on as producers.[52]
A fourth theatricalSpongeBob SquarePants film, titledThe SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,[53] and three spinoff films set for release onParamount+ were announced in February 2022, withSaving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie released on August 2, 2024, on Netflix andSearch for SquarePants scheduled for release on December 19, 2025.[46][47][54]
In July 2023, a sequel toTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was announced, withJeff Rowe returning to direct andPoint Grey Pictures returning to co-produce.[55] The film is scheduled for release on September 17, 2027. On September 26, 2023, Spin Master announced that a thirdPaw Patrol film, later known asPaw Patrol: The Dino Movie, is in development, scheduling it for release on August 14, 2026.[56]
His original animated feature Yokai Samba is in development at Nickelodeon.
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