Paramount will release a new SpongeBob SquarePants animated feature in late 2014, according to Hollywood Reporter.  The new SpongeBob feature will be the first film in Paramount's effort to expand its animation output in the coming years.   

The first SpongeBob SquarePants movie, released in 2004, had a great opening (see "SpongeBob Opens Big") and ended up grossing around $140 million worldwide.  Paramount expects to top that this time around because of the greater awareness of the character around the world. 

Key merchandise will include the just-announced collectible figures (see "'SpongeBob' Collectible Figures") and United Plankton’s SpongeBob Comics (distributed through Bongo, see "'SpongeBob' Comics").  SpongeBob graphic novels sold like crazy the year the first movie came out (see "Scholastic Sells Half a Million 'SpongeBob' Cine-Manga").