This is classic Loony Toons stuff. Hedge would make a great TV show along these lines. But that’s DreamWorks call, not mine. You’d think a movie that made $336 million worldwide would warrant a second glance. Here’s why it doesn’t…
The Over the Hedge film cost about $100 million to make (with allocated overhead included). Add about $70 million to market and advertise. That’s $200 million. Now the studio only gets about half of theater receipts. That’s about $170 million. So we’re at break even. Now subtract a 15% fee to Paramount for distributing the film and we’re about $25 million in the hole. DVD’s and merchandising bring in about $75 million to the studio. So, in the end the film nets about $50 million. Not bad. But it’s not the $300-$400 million that Shrek netted.
Now let’s say you want to make Hedge II. First off, you have to actually pay the actors this time. They did the first one for a fraction of their usual rates with the hope that there would be a sequel and they could cash in. That adds about $20 million to the budget. Now your margin is pretty slim. If the second film doesn’t perform as well as the first you could actually lose money. So, when you have the choice of doing Madagascar III (Mad II nets $200 million) and Hedge II, that’s no choice at all.
Combine this with the fact that DWA is a small studio that makes 2 to 3 movie per year and the choice becomes even easier. A larger studio could make Hedge II and amortize the potiential risk across 20-30 movies instead of just 3. This is why Sony made Open Season II, after Open Season I made less than half what Hedge made worldwide.
In the end, the only hope for Hedge II or a Hedge TV show is if DWA is bought by a large studio. Which will happen eventually. Eventually being defined as a long, long time.
And that was way more than you wanted to know about film financing.
All I know is that everyone–and I mean the loudest everyones who are about three feet tall–want a second Hedge film very badly and expect me to produce it on request. So step up, Dreamworks!
There was an Open Season II? Lol.
alyeska39: Yes, there was. I know this, because I have twin 7-year-olds. We have every animated movie ever produced. Some of them really suck, too.
SaraCVT: That is just wonderful. Remind me never to watch it.
It’s like how I fairly recently discovered that there’s a *reason* I never watch my copy of Swan Princess. I sat down one day to watch it with my roommate, when I realized that I never watched it (even when I was a kid I knew it was stupid). Yeeeah… she walked out on it.
But but…. I want more Hammy!!!! ::hissy fit hissy fit::
I would pay serious money to see an OTH film where Sylvester the Cat keeps appearing in cameo shots, telling Verne that there’s a “Really Big Mouse” and every time Verne drives himself crazy by trying to explain that it isn’t possible (using The Physics Of Mouse Size Limits, of course).
Looney Toons and Over The Hedge = win win…
(and WAAAAH! I wanna ‘nother Hedge movie! *sniff*)
Correction. Paramounts Distribution fee is only 8%. So the first film netted a little over $60 million. Better, but still not enough to justify a sequel.
I hope they make over the hedge 2. The first one was a great movie…
I’m 18 and would love to see an OTH 2 film Being made
Madagascar, for me, was boring… And shrek???… I loved the first and second, but the third and forth… What a waste of time they were! your never to old for animation films, and alot of them now, have quiet a bit of adult humor in them (obviously not too much). Apart from animated films, I am a big fan of horror movies! Over the hedge was and still is a great film 
Personally, I hope they wait. Although, that’s purely selfish of me, as I’m an amateur 3D artist who wants to go professional, and as Over the Hedge is one of my all-time faves, I would love to work on it.
While I did not see “Hedge” in theaters, it’s by far my favorite Dreamworks animation film. It’s a shame that we’re on a 3rd Madagascar and 4.5 Shrek films, but no return to the Hedge.
While the film might not have done gangbusters the first go-around, I think it likely has developed enough of a following since that a sequel would sell more tickets.
I have to say that I’d absolutely LOVE an over the hedge 2 it is one of my fav all-timers! I seriously hope they do but it’s looking bleaker as time passes by… O well…
I know this post is pretty old but I wish they’d make a second hedge film. Without bombing it of course. Over the hedge is just so fun to watc.
34 years old and loved over the hedge. We need a sequel!
I remember I watched Over the Hedge every night for about 3 months consecutively when it came out when i was ten , hoping it would have a sequel one day. I’m now going on 18 and it has yet to pass and I’m quite disappointed
The movie was nicely crafted and brought my favorite childhood comic to life in a way that was out of my wildest dreams (: Out of all the dreamworks movies its the only one that i can watch over and over again and it feels like I’m watching it for the first time (: I mean like even today I was at Walmart with my other teenage friends and we saw DVD and my friend started flipping out about it and got all excited so at least its not forgotten, right? 
But I hope this isnt the end for these adorable creatures to appear again on a screen because i might just die if it doesn’t (: At least I still have the comic to keep me from losing my sanity lol ;D I need a daily dose of Hedge! XP<3
Thank you so much. I do think someday there will be a sequel. But not before DWA is bought by a larger media company. Right now, the financial risk for a studio putting out only 3 movies/year is just too high. They need HUGE hits to support sequels. Hedge did very well, but not Shrek, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon well. Thanks again.