The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants has started its journey into theaters around the world. Here's how the fourth
SpongeBob SquarePants movie is doing at the box office globally! (Latest updates towards the top)
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| SpongeBob SquarePants (Tom Kenny), Barb (Regina Hall), Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill), Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), Squidward (Rodger Bumpass), Gary (Tom Kenny) and Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke) in The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon. | ©2025 Paramount Pictures and Viacom International Inc. SpongeBob SquarePants is a trademark of Viacom International International Inc. |
The budget for The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is reportedly $64 million.
Saturday, December 20, 2025:
A.M. Update: Paramount’s SpongeBob Movie: The Search for Squarepants is 4th with a $17M opening after a $6M Friday. The character who lives in the water under the sea gets an A- CinemaScore, the best he’s ever gotten for a big rendition of himself, ahead of 2004’s SpongeBob Squarepants (B+) and 2015’s Sponge Out of Water (B), the highest grossing movie in the franchise with $163M domestic, $325.1M global. On PostTrak, kids under 12 like it better than general audiences with 92% positive, 62% definite recommend vs. 70% positive/44% definite recommend.
Male-female is 53% to 47%, with 7-17 repping 28% of the crowd, 18-34 at 53% (25-34 the biggest at 30% turnout). Caucasian moviegoers at 43%, Hispanic and Latino at a big 29%, 12% Black, 10% Asian and 6% Native American/other. Some PLFs. Leading location is the Cinemark in Downey, CA with $13K.
[Per Deadline]
Friday, December 19, 2025 (Opening Day):
P.M. Update: Paramount’s SpongeBob Movie: The Search for Squarepants at 3,557 theaters is soaking up $5.6M today and $16M-$18M for the weekend. No RT audience score yet.
[Per Deadline]
Update: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants has earned a A- score on CinemaScore!
[Per ToonHive]
A.M. Update: Paramount’s The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants collected $1.4M at the domestic box office from paid previews across about 2,800 locations. That includes the Wednesday night 3D fan screenings. No RT audience score yet, but as we told you, the movie is getting the best reviews ever for the big-screen franchise.
[Per Deadline]
Thursday, December 18, 2025:
P.M. Update: Paramount’s SpongeBob Movie: The Search for Squarepants is at $1.3M previews. That’s what DreamWorks Animation’s Boss Baby 2: Family Business did, resulting in a 3-day of $16M (that pic had a Peacock theatrical day-and-date back in July 2021). Opening outlook for the fourth SpongeBob movie is teens to $20M. Reviews at 85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes are the highest ever in the history of the franchise on the big screen.
[Per Deadline]
About The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants:
SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom friends set sail in their biggest, all-new, can’t miss cinematic event ever…The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. Desperate to be a big guy, SpongeBob sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs by following The Flying Dutchman – a mysterious swashbuckling ghost pirate – on a seafaring comedy-adventure that takes him to the deepest depths of the deep sea, where no Sponge has gone before.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants features the voices of Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, and Mr. Lawrence, all respective roles from Nickelodeon's beloved animated series, along with guest stars George Lopez, Isis “Ice Spice” Gaston, Arturo Castro, Sherry Cola with Regina Hall, and Mark Hamill.
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is directed by Derek Drymon and executive produced by Marc Ceccarelli, Vincent Waller, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, and Andrew Lary. It is produced by Lisa Stewart, p.g.a., Pam Brady, Aaron Dem. Based on the Series “SpongeBob SquarePants” Created by Stephen Hillenburg. The story is by Marc Ceccarelli & Kaz and Pam Brady. The screenplay is by Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman.
The movie will be accompanied by the new
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem short
Chrome Alone 2: Lost in New Jersey. From producers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Jeff Rowe, and Ramsay McBean and directed by Kent Seki, the film reunites audiences with the Turtle brothers from the 2023 feature
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem for a festive adventure. When a mysterious toy company seeks to profit off the turtles’ new hero status, the brothers follow the clues to New Jersey and make a shocking discovery in this all new original short.
SpongeBob Big Guy Pants Okay.
Originally published: December 20, 2025 at 04:31 GMT.
