Netflix has acquired the foreign rights for SpongeBob: Sponge on the Run from Viacom globally save China and Canada.
Paramount announced in late June that Sponge on the Run would forgo theaters entirely and debut as a paid VOD title in early 2021, before heading to its sister streaming service CBS All Access as a home entertainment exclusive.
The acquisition is one of several recent transactions between Netflix and Paramount, including the shuttling of films like Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae’s Lovebirds, Aaron Sorkin’s Trial of the Chicago 7, and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.
The delightful kids cartoon (and stoner icon) first came to features via Nickelodeon. The second film, which Paramount released, went on to gross over $350 million worldwide.