'Madagascar' Franchise Leaving Netflix in July 2026

It might only be early June, but we already have word of what's on the chopping block to leave Netflix next month. Parents, steel yourselves: the Madagascar franchise will wave goodbye to the platform in early July. Per What's on Netflix, the four-film series is among a long list of titles departing the streamer, although, as the site notes, "all removals from Netflix are subject to change due to licensing agreements." It adds that "removal dates may also vary by region."

Hailing from DreamWorks Animation, the first Madagascar movie hit theaters on May 27, 2005. It stars Ben Stiller as Alex, Chris Rock as Marty, David Schwimmer as Melman, Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria, Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien XIII, Andy Richter as Mort, and Cedric the Entertainer as Maurice. The film follows a group of anthropomorphic animals from the Central Park Zoo as they find themselves stranded on Madagascar, where they must adjust to their new surroundings.

The aforementioned actors lend their voices to the 2008 sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and the 2012 threequel Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. A spin-off featuring the popular penguin spies, titled Penguins of Madagascar, premiered on Nov. 26, 2014.

All four films did well at the box office. The first installment grossed $558 million worldwide on a $75 million budget, while the third entry proved to be the most lucrative, amassing $746.9 million at the global box office on a $145 million budget. All in all, the series raked in over a whopping $2.2 billion, becoming the ninth highest-grossing animated franchise of all time.

Critical reception was positive for the most part, with the series maintaining an average CinemaScore grade of A- for each film. The first movie sits at 55% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, but it jumps to 78% for Europe's Most Wanted, the franchise's highest score on the aggregator. The first three flicks were also nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards.

Be sure to plan your binge-watching with the kiddos accordingly before the Madagascar franchise leaves Netflix on July 1, 2026.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 7:01 PM.