Ice Age Box Office: Gross by Film and Franchise Total

The Ice Age box office worldwide total is about $3.2 billion across five theatrical films, and the biggest single earner is ice age dawn of the dinosaurs (2009), directed by Carlos Saldanha, with $887 million on a $90 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. The saga opened with ice age 2002, directed by Chris Wedge, which took $383 million worldwide ($176 million domestic and $207 million international) on a budget of $59 million. Box Office Mojo lists that budget, while The Numbers lists $65 million.

ice age the meltdown (2006), also directed by Carlos Saldanha, grossed $667 million on an $80 million budget, with $195 million at home and $472 million abroad. ice age continental drift (2012), directed by Michael Thurmeier and Steve Martino, made $877 million on $95 million, and $716 million of that came from international markets. ice age collision course (2016), directed by Michael Thurmeier, earned $402 million worldwide on a $105 million budget, but only $64 million of it was domestic. The Collision Course figures come from The Numbers, because the Box Office Mojo totals for that film include a 2020 rerelease.

Which Ice Age movie made the most money? Dawn of the Dinosaurs, both worldwide and, by a narrow margin, at the domestic box office, where its $197 million edged past The Meltdown at $195 million. Not every title has a gross. ice age buck wild (2022), directed by John Donkin, is a spin-off that arrived on Disney+ on January 28, 2022, and Box Office Mojo lists no grosses for it. ice age boiling point is set for a US theatrical release on February 5, 2027, according to TheWrap, and it is still in production, so it has no gross yet. For the full film list, see how many ice age movies there are, or follow the ice age movies in order guide.

By the numbers, Ice Age is a hit, because every theatrical film earned at least three times its budget worldwide. In my opinion, the fairest way to read the grosses is worldwide gross against budget. On that measure, Ice Age (2002) returned 6.5 times its budget, The Meltdown 8.3 times, Dawn of the Dinosaurs 9.9 times, Continental Drift 9.2 times and Collision Course 3.8 times. Gross is not profit (marketing costs and theater shares sit outside these figures), so treat the multiples as a guide, much like judging a restaurant by its queue rather than its accounts.

The pattern is a climb, a plateau and a drop. The saga leaned harder on overseas audiences with each sequel: international markets made up 54 percent of the gross for Ice Age (2002), then 78 percent for Dawn of the Dinosaurs, 82 percent for Continental Drift and 84 percent for Collision Course. Dawn of the Dinosaurs also opened with Father's Day 3D previews in 330 theaters ahead of its July 1 opening, according to Animation World Network.

The domestic column is where the fifth film looks weakest. Continental Drift made $161 million at home, and Collision Course fell to $64 million, even though its worldwide total still reached $402 million. It could be argued that the fifth film is the only one that reads as a disappointment, and only compared with the saga's own high mark. Box office rank is also not quality rank, so if you want to know which film is actually best, read ice age movies ranked. Boiling Point returns the series to theaters in 2027, so its row in the box office record is still blank, and you can follow the film on the ice age boiling point trailer page.