A Universal-DreamWorks movie is bringing the winning formula of kids content frenzy to the big screen

A young miss named Gabby, alongside her menagerie of animated feline friends, is making the leap from streaming to the large screen.

Universal and DreamWorks Animation's "Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie" is the latest kid's TV amusement to caput to the container office, pursuing successful the footsteps of Paramount's Paw Patrol and SpongeBob SquarePants franchises.

"We felt similar the franchise had gotten to the constituent wherever determination was capable fandom to warrant a theatrical event, and we wanted to grow the world," Margie Cohn, president of DreamWorks Animation, told CNBC.

Children's programming has go an progressively important portion of the media scenery successful caller years. As linear TV has fixed mode to streaming, studios are looking for ways to thrust and prolong subscriber growth. For "Gabby's Dollhouse," establishing a theatrical beingness increases consciousness of the brand, stirs up caller excitement from existing fans and spurs caller opportunities for products successful the retail market.

"Gabby's Dollhouse," created by "Blue's Clues" veterans Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey, launched connected Netflix successful 2021. It's already tally for 11 seasons, and a 12th is connected owed retired successful November. Each play has six to 10 episodes, astir 25 minutes each.

It's been the most-viewed streaming archetypal bid for kids this year, according to Nielsen.

Each occurrence begins with a live-action Gabby, played by Laila Lockhart Kraner, arsenic she unboxes a miniature bundle that sparks an escapade successful her magical dollhouse. She dons her cat-ear headband, shrinks down to go an animated quality and joins her feline friends, called Gabby's cats. Like a batch of preschool shows, Gabby pauses to inquire the assemblage questions and invitation them to play along.

Those elements each look successful the full-length diagnostic film, which arrived successful theaters Friday. It melds animation and live-action, but astatine a bigger scale.

Cohn said the extremity was to make a theatrical experience, akin to a "'Rocky Horror Picture Show' for small kids.' Invite them to sing, dance, clap."

"Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie" debuts astatine a clip erstwhile the movie calendar has constricted family-friendly options. The astir caller large releases successful this genre were Disney's "Freakier Friday" and Universal's "The Bad Guys 2," some of which were released successful aboriginal August.

While determination has been a dependable watercourse of family-friendly fare successful caller years, it comes aft a sizeable adust spell caused by the pandemic and dual Hollywood labour strikes shutting down production. At the aforesaid time, consumers' habits shifted arsenic streaming services grew successful popularity and studios shortened the clip it took for movies released successful cinemas to scope the location market.

But younger viewers are immoderate of the astir engaged, and a superior operator to get families retired to the theater.

Kids are immoderate of the astir fervent streaming users, too, arsenic they thin to ticker the aforesaid contented implicit and implicit again, starring to precocious engagement. That's wherefore kid-friendly shows person connection a unsocial worth proposition for studios adjacent arsenic accepted linear tv and the theatrical scenery has go little reliable.

Presenting their favourite characters successful much places tin mean spreading the wealthiness and yet fueling their appetites for more.

"One request lone look astatine the large screen-small surface synergies that were created by 'KPop Demon Hunters' to spot however 'Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie' could likewise marque the leap from a tiny surface 2021 bid into a large surface cinematic lawsuit successful 2025," said Paul Dergarabedian, elder media expert astatine Comscore.

A planetary theatrical merchandise not lone serves the beardown home market, but extends the scope of "Gabby's Dollhouse" internationally. Cohn noted that Europe is 1 portion wherever the amusement is gaining traction.

"As a comparatively caller franchise with notable scope into the selling satellite aimed astatine today's youngest generations, this is simply a movie that should seizure the involvement of that assemblage and proceed showcasing its strengths arsenic a caller brand," said Shawn Robbins, manager of analytics astatine Fandango and laminitis of Box Office Theory.

And it tin beryllium a comparatively affordable mode to widen a franchise's reach.

"Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie" had a accumulation fund of conscionable implicit $30 million, a tiny concern for the likes of Universal and DreamWorks Animation compared to different theatrical kids films. For example, franchise films from Disney's Pixar and Universal's different animation arm, Illumination, tin outgo upwards of $200 cardinal to create.

"At DreamWorks, we cognize however to marque a fund fit," Cohn said. "We marque immoderate truly big, high-budget, all-audience animated films. But past we besides bash smaller films similar 'Captain Underpants' oregon the astir caller 1 with 'Dog Man.' We cognize however to marque high-quality movies for a little terms point."

Paramount's 2 Paw Patrol films had likewise tiny budgets, according to media reports. "Paw Patrol: The Movie," released successful 2021, generated $40 cardinal domestically and much than $145 cardinal globally, according to information from Comscore. Meanwhile, 2023's "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie" collected $65 cardinal domestically and $200 globally.

Box bureau analysts estimated "Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie" would cod betwixt $15 cardinal and $25 cardinal during its opening weekend.

While theatrical revenues are important, bringing "Gabby's Dollhouse" to the large surface is portion of a wider strategy. The contented is portion of an interconnected ecosystem that includes toys, books, merchandise and unrecorded events.

"I came from Nickelodeon," Cohn said. "We studied the assemblage a lot, and we knew that they liked to ticker a show, but past they wanted to play it, iterate connected it, and acquisition the characters and ideas successful their ain way, successful their ain form. And truthful we developed the Gabby franchise to fto them bash conscionable that."

DreamWorks partnered with artifact institution Spin Master to manufacture a enactment of toys tied to "Gabby's Dollhouse." The scope of products includes playsets, figures, plush toys, games and puzzles. Since launching the line, Spin Master has sold astir 3 cardinal dollhouses tied to the show.

Cohn said DreamWorks Animation "nurtured and brewed success" for "Gabby's Dollhouse" with done the Spin Master concern arsenic good arsenic done the accumulation of YouTube shorts, grassroots selling and a traveling unrecorded amusement presented by Walmart.

"The bid conscionable grew and grew and grew," Cohn said. "And past it gets to a definite constituent you're capable to present connected bigger strategical franchise enlargement with unrecorded amusement and shows successful museums and beingness successful the parks and music, you know, each that comes erstwhile you person a spot that kids respond to."

"Gabby's Dollhouse" has been a apical 5 preschool artifact spot for 5 of the past 8 quarters, according to information from Circana. It has been a apical 10 spot for 10 consecutive quarters.

In summation to toys, "Gabby's Dollhouse" has merchandise collections with Walmart, Target and Amazon, that see apparel, location goods, games and adjacent toothbrushes. As the movie heads to theaters, audiences volition beryllium capable to bargain themed popcorn buckets, portion tumblers and different specialty items.

The franchise has besides go portion of Universal's taxable parks, with quality meet-and-greets with Gabby and retail areas wherever guests tin bargain headbands, plush and apparel.

And Universal isn't stopping there. "Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie" sets up a bigger aboriginal for Gabby and a imaginable spin-off series. As the movie credits roll, Gabby puts the finishing touches connected a caller dollhouse — a canine dollhouse that she says her small sister volition love.

When asked astir what "Gabby Dollhouse" fans tin expect pursuing the reveal, Cohn teased, "You're gonna person to hold and see."

Disclosure: Comcast is the genitor institution of Fandango and NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would go the caller genitor institution of Fandango and CNBC upon Comcast's planned spinoff of Versant.