Mark Hamill & Ice Spice's New $165M Franchise Sequel Officially Begins Streaming Tomorrow

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Mark Hamill saluting at The Wild Robot premiere

Published Feb 16, 2026, 12:44 PM EST

Adam Bentz is a senior news writer at ScreenRant, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and lists. He studied creative writing and English with a concentration in screenwriting at Southern New Hampshire University and interned as a writer/journalist for The Borgen Project, an influential organization that fights global poverty.

However, one of his proudest achievements is editing a Leonardo DiCaprio freakout compilation that has over 150K views on YouTube. Adam also fancies himself an amateur film reviewer on his website.

After making $165 million at the box office late last year, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants officially begins streaming tomorrow.

The fourth theatrical film in the franchise following The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), Sponge Out of Water (2015), and Sponge on the Run (2021), Search for Squarepants was released in theaters this past December 19 and was a box office success that grossed $165 million worldwide against its $64 million budget.

Now, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants officially starts streaming tomorrow, February 17, on Paramount+ in the United States and Canada, the streaming service announced. It's been available for digital purchase and rental since January 20, while it will also be released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 31.

Directed by series veteran Derek Drymon, with a script written by Pam Brady and Matt Lieberman from a story by series creatives Marc Ceccarelli and Kaz, Search for SquarePants follows SpongeBob who, eager to be seen as tough, tries to show his courage to Mr. Krabs by chasing after the Flying Dutchman, a mysterious sword-wielding ghost pirate, into the darkest depths of the ocean.

SpongeBob SquarePants was created by Stephen Hillenburg.

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants stars the show's regular voice cast, including Tom Kenny as SpongeBob SquarePants and Gary the Snail, Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs, Rodger Bumpass as Squidward, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick Star, Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy, and Mr. Lawrence as Plankton.

The voice cast also includes Mark Hamill as The Flying Dutchman (taking over for Brian Doyle-Murray) alongside Ice Spice, Regina Hall, George Lopez, Arturo Castro, and Sherry Cola.

The latest SpongeBob movie received mostly positive reviews, resulting in an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics calling it a standalone adventure with slick animation and a heartfelt message woven into its playful silliness, standing out as one of SpongeBob's most charming big-screen adventures so far.

In ScreenRant's review of The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, Gregory Nussen writes, "The fry cook's adventure into the underworld is over-the-top comic gold... the film contains the kind of joke-a-second writing which initially made SpongeBob so appealing, and Search for SquarePants is relentlessly hilarious."

With a 68% score on the Popcornmeter, audiences have also leaned into its absurd fun and have had a good time with The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants – another animated movie adventure for families that still delivers plenty of cheeky humor fans will enjoy.