Shrek's cinematic return is still coming, but he'll have to wait for the Minions to get done taking over summer 2026.

Shrek and the Minions will both be on the big screen in 2026. Universal Pictures announced Friday that the highly-anticipated animated movies are swapping their theatrical release dates, with DreamWorks Animation's “Shrek 5” pushing back from July 1,

Universal has announced that DreamWorks Animation’s “Shrek 5” will be moving from July 1, 2026, to December 23, 2026. In its place, Universal will open Illumination’s “Minions 3,” which was previously supposed to come out a year later (June 30, 2027). That’s the kind of chaotic scheduling a minion would really embrace.

There's some bad news for Shrek fans today as the long-awaited fifth movie has just been delayed. However, fans of the Despicable Me franchise will be pleased to learn about Minion 3's new release date.

Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek 5 will now open on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2026 instead of July 1 next year. At the same time, they’re moving up Illumination’s Minions 3 from June 30, 2027 to Shrek 5 ‘s old date of Wednesday, July 2026.

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz are returning for the 'Shrek' sequel, which is timed to the franchise's 25th anniversary.

Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation's Shrek 5 has pushed its release date from July 1, 2026 to December 23, 2026. Meanwhile, the studio has also rescheduled Minions 3 opening date to accommodate the vacancy left by Shrek 5.