Box office The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants grossed $71 million in the United States and Canada, and $98 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $169 million. Its second weekend brought in $11.1 million, averaging $3,110 per theater in 3,570 theaters; it suffered a decline of -28.9%, ranking seventh behind
David. Its third weekend declined by -25.2%, grossing $8.3 million, ranking sixth behind newcomer
Anaconda.
Critical response Audiences polled by
CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, the highest of the franchise, while those surveyed by
PostTrak gave it a 70% overall positive score, with 44% saying they would definitely recommend the film. Chris Wasser of the
Sunday Independent gave the film three stars out of five, writing, "This vibrant cartoon adventure is as wacky as you'd expect." In a four star out of five review on
The Irish Times, Tara Brady wrote that the visual gags were "fresh", the jokes were "funny", the world-building was "disarmily buoyant", and the musical cues were "playful". Derek Smith of
Slant Magazine gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four, writing that the film was "dotted with the whacky humor and ingenious puns that the fans of the series have come to expect."
Matt Zoller Seitz of
RogerEbert.com gave the film four stars out of a possible four, writing that there "is no such thing as too many butt jokes," adding that "the movie averages one butt joke every five minutes." Tim Grierson of
Screen Daily gave the film a positive review, writing that some of the jokes "can get a bit tedious," though said the film's adolescent tone was "never cruel or obnoxious."
IndieWire Alison Foreman gave the film a grade of "B", writing that while the comedy is not as dark as the series' golden age, it "casts a wide tonal net and catches a balanced effort" that she says is "both familiar and fresh with an appealing that could work for any one of SpongeBob's ages." In a positive review for
The Film Verdict, Alonso Duralde said that SpongeBob "learns there's more than derring-do involved in becoming a 'big guy,'" and said that the message "never overwhelms the wacky comedy". The film also received some negative reviews. Brandon Yu of
The New York Times wrote that the movie "is bad on its own terms, mainly for its cynical philosophy of children's entertainment." Alistair Harkness of
The Scotsman gave the film a rating of two stars out of five, writing that there's "no joy or craft in the jokes on offer; it's just a barrage of zaniness," though he stated that "there's nothing wrong with providing pure cinematic silliness for five, six and seven-year-olds." Fred Topel of
United Press International gave the film a negative review, writing that the film was a "step down for
SpongeBob." Joshua Mbonu of
InSession Film gave the film a grade of "C", calling the film an "aggressively average venture", and writing that the "cartoon sponge's latest film outing couldn't be more forgettable on the whole." Some reviewers criticized the film's choice to focus on a small number of characters, rather than utilize the rest of the franchise's cast. Justin Lowe of
The Hollywood Reporter suggested that "longtime fans may be understandably disappointed" by the decision to "elbow aside" series regulars
Pearl,
Sandy,
Plankton and
Karen.
Accolades ==Notes==