Box office The film was a commercial success. On its opening weekend, the film grossed $47,224,594 with a $11,431 average from 4,131 theaters making it the number 3 movie of that weekend behind
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and
The Longest Yard. However, the film managed to claim the top position in the U.S. box office the following week with a gross of $28,110,235. In the United States, the film eventually grossed $194,820,396, and in foreign areas grossed $362,964,045 with a summative worldwide gross of $557,784,441.
Critical reception On
Rotten Tomatoes, the film received approval rating based on reviews, with an average rating of . The consensus reads: "Though its story is problematic in spots and its humor is hit-or-miss for the adult crowd,
Madagascar boasts impressive visuals and enough spunky charm to keep children entertained." On
Metacritic, the film has a score of 57 out of 100, based on 36 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by
CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Paul Arendt of
BBC gave the film 4/5 stars, writing: "It's also a pleasure to see a cartoon so determinedly devoid of sentiment, a stance confirmed by the hilarious demise of an angelic little duckling. Highly recommended for kids and adults." Jeff Strickler of the
Star Tribune gave the film 3/4 stars, describing it as a "good-natured kid flick" and writing: "This computer-animated comedy makes enough kowtows to adult humor that parents won't be bored, but it is clearly aimed at the peewee set." Ann Hornaday of
The Washington Post described the film as "wildly fun" and wrote: "along with such recent classics as
Shrek,
Finding Nemo and
The Incredibles,
Madagascar will surely go on to take a deserved place on millions of families' video shelves as a reliable Saturday night staple." Kenneth Turan of the
Los Angeles Times described the film as "a good-humored, pleasant confection that has all kinds of relaxed fun bringing computer-animated savvy to the old-fashioned world of
Looney Tunes cartoons." Paul Clinton of
CNN wrote that the film was "a delight", and added: "Co-writers and -directors McGrath and Eric Darnell, along with their entire team, have done a terrific job with their sweet and whimsical story."
Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5/4 stars, writing that it "is funny, especially at the beginning, and good-looking in a retro cartoon way", but added: "in a world where the stakes have been raised by
Finding Nemo,
Shrek and
The Incredibles, it's a throwback to a more conventional kind of animated entertainment." Philippa Hawker of
The Sydney Morning Herald also gave the film 2.5/4 stars, writing: "
Madagascar, despite some break-out moments of silliness, seems defined by a formula that can't fail to please, at a basic level, but never feels imaginatively inspired." Rick Groen of
The Globe and Mail gave the film 2/4 stars, describing the film's script as "a wafer-thin yarn that might have done
Sylvester and
Tweety proud, but goes missing-in-action when stretched over 80-plus minutes."
A. O. Scott of
The New York Times wrote that the film "arouses no sense of wonder, except insofar as you wonder, as you watch it, how so much talent, technical skill and money could add up to so little."
Awards The film has won three awards and several nominations. In 2008, the
American Film Institute nominated the film for its
Top 10 Animation Films list. == Sequels, spin-offs, and television series ==