‘Shrek’ and ‘Despicable Me’ Are Battling in the Netflix Top 10

Two beloved animated children’s films are currently waging a fierce battle on Netflix’s streaming charts. Pitting DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures against one another, 2001’s Shrek and 2004’s Shrek 2 are battling against 2010’s Despicable Me and 2013’s Despicable Me 2 to reach a higher ranking in the streaming wars.

The two film franchises have been in fierce competition with each other ever since Shrek and Shrek 2 arrived on Netflix on March 1. In the weeks since their arrival, both Shrek films and both Despicable Me films have been climbing the streaming charts, vying for a higher spot in the ranking, and it seems Shrek is winning at this time. As of Netflix’s Thursday, March 24 Top 10 rankings, Shrek and Shrek 2 outrank Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 on both the Top 10 Movies chart and the Top 10 Kids chart. Among movies, the Shrek films rank Bo. 7 and No. 8 respectively, with Despicable Me 2 falling closely behind at No. 9. The rankings are similar, albeit a bit different, on Netflix Kids, where the original Shrek film has risen to the No. 4 spot, with Shrek 2 falling to No. 6. Despicable Me and its follow-up take the No. 7 and No. 8 spots.

The four films are running a tight race on more than just the Netflix front. All four films bear very similar Rotten Tomatoes ratings. Critics gave Shrek an 88% approval rating, with Shrek 2 jumping just slightly higher with 89%. Their competitors earned an 81% and 75% approval ratings each. However, Despicable Me seems to pull ahead when it comes to the audience scores. While both Despicable Me movies earned over an 80% audience scores and Shrek boasts a 90% score, Shrek 2 only managed to achieve 69% audience score.

Unfortunately for one of these teams and its fans, the battle is about to come to an abrupt and unceremonious end. Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 will ultimately be forced to tap out of the race, both films landing themselves on Netflix’s list of titles leaving in March. The two films are set to exit the streamer on Thursday, March 31 alongside other family-friendly titles including Bee Movie, Free Willy 4: Escape from Pirate’s Cove, Gremlins, Happy Feet Two, Jumanji, Kung Fu Panda, and several of the Madagascar films, among others.

Both Shrek and Shrek 2, meanwhile, will be moving on to new turf. On Friday, April 1, the two films are set to make their way to Hulu, where they will be available for streaming alongside films from another popular franchise: Twilight. After disappearing from Netflix just a few months back and then briefly finding a home on Peacock before also leaving that streamer, all five films in the Twilight film series will be available for streaming on Hulu. Given that neither of the Shrek films are on Netflix’s March or April departure lists, it seems Shrek and Shrek 2 will be available on both Netflix and Hulu at least through the end of April.