Tag Archives: Dreamworks Animation

Daily Cinema Roundup-Thursday 27 May

May 28, 2009

–With his contract recently extended until 2013 and “Monsters Vs. Aliens” one of the year’s top grossing films so far, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has now revealed plans to release five feature films every two years, adding an additional film every other year to its existing two picture a year release schedule.
With today’s news, DWA’s release slate through 2012 now includes eight feature films, including five original films and three sequels based on the company’s existing franchises, Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda. And as previously announced, all DWA features will be produced in 3D.
This commitment to 3D content should come as good news for stakeholders, but it could also mean added pressure on theater owners to install digital cinema and 3D capabilities, as well as on those working to advance 3D for the home market.

DWA’s schedule includes:
–“How to Train Your Dragon,” based on the book by Cressida Cowell, will be released on March 26, 2010. It will star a cast that includes Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
–“Shrek Forever After” will be released on May 21, 2010. It features the original cast, including Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas.
–“Oobermind” (formerly “Master Mind”) will be released on November 5, 2010. It will star Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey.
–“Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom” will be released on June 3, 2011. Returning is a voice cast that includes Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu and David Cross.
–“The Guardians” (working title), based on the forthcoming books by William Joyce, will be released on November 4, 2011.
–“Puss In Boots” (working title) will be released on March 30, 2012 and star Antonio Banderas as Puss In Boots and Salma Hayek as Kitty, Puss’ love interest.
–The next Madagascar sequel is due to be released on May 25, 2012. It will find the zoo animals continuing to get back to New York. This time the road takes them through Europe.
–On Nov. 2, 2012, DWA plans to release one of three original projects currently in pre-production at the studio.

–There is more on this news announcement in a Reuters article, reporting that Katzenberg spoke yesterday at the Cowen and Co. Technology and Media and Telecom Conference and predicted that he could get its production budgets down to $130 million (including 3D) for the 2011 films. (“Monsters Vs. Aliens” was estimated to cost $175 million.) The Reuters article also said that Katzenberg expects a positive shift it distribution costs, come 2012 when DWA’s distribution contract with Paramount expires.

–In related box office news, at press time DWA’s debut 3D title “Monsters Vs. Aliens” is just shy of an impressive $194 million in the domestic box office—the highest grossing digital 3D release to date. It had also been the biggest money maker of the year so far, but today it was just passed by the Starship Enterprise. “Star Trek” reached $194.8 million. “Monsters” will surrender the majority of 3D screens this weekend to Disney/Pixar’s “Up.”

–Dolby announced new 3D installations this week: The Empire Leicester Square in London has become Europe’s first auditorium to use the new Dolby 3D Digital Cinema large screen system.
The company reported that the new Dolby 3D large screen solution combined with Barco’s digital cinema twin-projector allows exhibitors to project Dolby 3D onto standard, non-silver screens ranging from 12.5 to 21 metres, surpassing the previous size limit of 12 metres. The Empire Leicester Square, one of the UK’s oldest and largest cinema venues, offers a 20-metre screen.
In related news, Dolby reported that Sundance Kabuki Cinemas in San Francisco has installed Dolby 3D Digital Cinema in its 160-seat auditorium, in time for Disney/Pixar’s “Up” opening.

–Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release director Henry Selick’s stop-motion animated feature “Coraline” on Blu-ray Hi-Def combo pack, 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD and single disc DVD on July 21.
All editions feature both the 2-D and 3-D versions of the film and four pairs of 3-D glasses, making “Coraline” the next 3D home release to watch. In theatres, digital 3D release “Coraline” made $75. 2 million in North America and $85.2 million worldwide.

Popularity: 41% [?]

Posted in Box Office, Business, Digital 3D, Equipment Vendors

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Box Office Review-Sunday 10 May

By Carolyn Giardina

May 10, 2009

The Star Trek franchise had its biggest opening yet, as Paramount’s relaunched “Star Trek” topped the North American box office this weekend with an estimated $72.5 million, giving the film a domestic total of $76.5 million (with its Thursday opening night).

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”—which last week had the biggest opening weekend of the year so far with an $85 million debut–finished in second place with an estimated $27 million, bringing its domestic box office total to $129.6 million. Worldwide, the film has crossed the $200 million mark.

Dreamworks Animation’s first digital 3D release “Monsters versus Aliens” stayed in the top 10 in its seventh week, bringing in an additional $3.4 million as its domestic total climbed to an estimated $186.9 million and worldwide gross reached $329.9 million. The production budget for “Monsters”—still the top grossing film of the year so far–is estimated to be around $175 million.

DWA still has a few more weeks before the next wide digital 3D release, Disney/Pixar’s “Up,” opens in theaters on May 29.

After a disappointing start last week, Lionsgate’s animated 3D release “Battle for Terra” continued to struggle. This weekend it brought in an estimated $184,000 for a $1. 5 million total domestic gross.

Add two more 3D release dates to your lists: Warner Bros.’ “Happy Feet 2”—the sequel to the computer animated Oscar winner “Happy Feet”—is slated to open in 3D on Nov. 18, 2011. Meanwhile Vivendi will open the live action family adventure “Call of the Wild 3D” next month on June 12.

Popularity: 38% [?]

Posted in Box Office, Digital 3D

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Battle Brews Over 3D Glasses In Europe

By J. Sperling Reich

March 26, 2009

RealD's Disposable 3D Glasses

Late last week I picked up on a rumor that was circulating about European exhibitors. Apparently, they are rejecting digital 3D versions of DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” in lieu of 2D digital and 35mm prints as a response to being told that distributors will not pick up the tab for 3D glasses. The film opens internationally on March 27th.

Disposable polarized 3D glasses cost between 50 and 99 cents (USD) and are required to view digital 3D movies shown using systems manufactured by RealD and Masterimage. “Active glasses”, which operate using LCD lenses that flicker open and closed at the shutter rate of the projector, are reusable and cost upwards of USD $$25 to $30. Such glasses are necessary to view 3D films shown using XpanD technology. Reusable glasses for Dolby’s color wheel system cost USD $23. More than likely the dispute is over disposable glasses rather than reusable glasses since it is generally accepted that the exhibitor will be responsible for the latter.

In North America it has become a somewhat common practice for the distributor of a 3D film to pay for disposable glasses in part or entirely. This may not last however since distribution chiefs such as Mark Christiansen of Paramount Pictures have said they are determining whether they will be reimbursing an exhibitor for the cost of disposable glasses on a film by film basis.

The theatre owners that reported the unofficial boycott of “Monsters vs. Aliens” in 3D were from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and a few Scandinavian countries. Equipment manufacturers and the few dealers I spoke with confirmed the story, and were somewhat frustrated as they believe such issues will hold up the rollout of digital cinema in Europe. Read More »

Popularity: 100% [?]

Posted in Countries, Digital 3D

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Katzenberg Gets Journalistic Spanking By LA Times

By Patrick von Sychowski

February 12, 2009

Jeffrey Katzenberg may be the Moses trying to lead the industry to the Promised 3D Digital Land, but judging by this article from the LA Times (Jeffrey Katzenberg in 3-D: Hollywood is rolling its eyes), his leadership may be in question. Patrick Goldstein, the articles author, takes Katzenberg to task for a number of recent events, ranging from the DreamWorks-Disney deal to the issue surrounding the closure of the the hospital and long-term care facility at its Woodland Hills retirement home, for which Katzenberg was the chief fundraiser.

But the article hangs the biggest question mark over the DreamWorks Animation’s head honcho’s strategy when it comes to Digital 3D and the studio’s imminent release:

Katzenberg’s biggest P.T. Barnum stunt of all — spending a reported $9 million to wow Super Bowl viewers with a 3-D ad for DreamWorks’ upcoming “Monsters vs. Aliens” 3-D film — was a fiasco, creating a backlash against Katzenberg’s own very public 3-D crusade. The blogosphere was full of mockery of the stunt. As SpoutBlog put it in a recent post: “Katzenberg may have done irreversible damage” by attempting to advertise “Monsters vs. Aliens” “by way of an anaglyphic 3D Super Bowl commercial necessitating outdated red/blue glasses.” To say that the ad missed its target audience would be an understatement. When Cinematical did a poll asking for reaction to the ad, the biggest segment of voters — 41% — checked the box saying: “I never picked up the glasses to begin with.”

The reaction was so bad that the chief executive of RealD Cinema, the company that does the projection technology used on a number of 3-D films, including “Monsters vs. Aliens,” had to issue a statement distancing his company from the Super Bowl ad, saying: “It’s important to recognize that today’s RealD in theaters is a quantum leap better than what they saw on TV.”

Popularity: 31% [?]

Posted in Digital 3D

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Dreamworks’ 3D Super Bowl Stunt Gets Mixed Reviews

By J. Sperling Reich

February 2, 2009

From the moment Dreamworks Animation first announced that it would run a 3D trailer for it’s March release “Monsters. vs. Aliens” during Super Bowl XLIII everyone working in the entertainment industry took notice, especially those in distribution and exhibition. Now that the big game is over and sports pundits have begun recapping every play, marketing experts and the public at large will spend the next several days discussing which Super Bowl commercials worked, which were forgettable and which were downright embarrassing. This year, Dreamworks’ 1:30 second trailer for “Monsters vs. Aliens” will definitely be one of the ads which is hotly debated in regards to whether it helped or hindered the film it was meant to promote, specifically because it aired in 3D.

Certainly the Super Bowl telecast is no stranger to advertising stunts, though not all of them turnout as expected. (remember Budweiser’s Bud Bowl?). Over the years, giving moviegoers a first glimpse of upcoming tent pole releases during the Super Bowl has become an important part of many blockbusters’ marketing campaigns, not to mention one of the most expensive parts. Ads for this years Super Bowl cost USD $3 million for a 30 second spot.

Nobody needs to be told, at least nobody in the United States, that the Super Bowl has become a premiere event for launching advertising campaigns. In fact, it may be the single most important event in the North American ad world each year. During the last four decades numerous memorable television spots first aired during the Super Bowl. In 1973 Master Lock set the bar by firing a bullet through it’s product. Coca-Cola, a perennial Super Bowl advertiser had a huge hit with it’s spot featuring hall-of-famer Mean Joe Green in 1979. Beer commercials, such as Budweiser’s “True” spots, have also been a big hit through years. But by far, the most referenced Super Bowl commercial of all time was Apple’s 1984 ad to introduce the Macintosh computer. The spot, which first aired 25 years ago, is still deemed one of the most successful ads to ever run during the telecast, even though it never even showed the product.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Posted in Marketing & Promotions, Trailers

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Paramount Goes Direct-To-Exhibitors With D-Cinema Deal

By J. Sperling Reich

January 22, 2009

On the eve of the National Association of Theatre Owners’ meeting with equipment vendors to review digital cinema requirements on Friday, Paramount Pictures has thrown the exhibition industry a curve ball in the hopes of resuscitating the stalled rollout of the technology. Rather than work solely through integrators such as Digital Cinema Implementation Partners (DCIP) and Cinedigm (formerly AccessIT), Paramount has become the first Hollywood studio to offer North American exhibitors financial assistance for digital cinema installations.

What’s significant about Paramount’s announcement is that previously studios have refused to cut deals to reimburse exhibitors for digital cinema installations directly with exhibitors for fear of future anti-trust litigation. Instead, they relied on digital cinema systems integrators to provide a buffer between themselves and theatre owners. But, with the digital cinema rollout at a near stand still, Paramount seems to be throwing caution to the winds.

Paramount has a vested interest in seeing digital cinema take off, specifically to increase the number of 3-D capable projection systems. This March the studio will be releasing Dreamworks Animations’ “Monsters vs. Aliens” in 3-D and presently the United States and Canada only have about 1,200 screens properly equipped with 3-D systems. Paramount has been promoting the film heavily for nearly a year at industry trade shows and will be airing a 3-D commercial for the movie during the upcoming Super Bowl telecast.
Read More »

Popularity: 58% [?]

Posted in Digital Cinema, Distributors

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No Avatar vs. Monsters vs. Aliens at the BO

By Patrick von Sychowski

September 20, 2007

It was a battle of the titans at the box office that was destined not to be. Paramount and DreamsWorks Animation (DWA) have moved the release date of ‘Monsters vs. Aliens‘ significantly forward to avoid a clash with James Cameron’s ‘Avatar‘. Both films were set to be showcase examples of the new digital 3D technology in cinemas already used to screen ‘Meet the Robinsons‘, ‘Monster House‘ and the upcoming ‘Beowulf‘ stereoscopically. Having initially both set release dates for 22 May 2009, ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ at first shifted slightly to 15 May but have now moved further forward to 27 March 2009, making it an Easter release. ‘Avatar’ has meanwhile not budged, showing the strength of Cameron and Fox. Quoted in the Hollywood Reporter, Katzenberg was pragmatic about the move:

Had “Monsters” stuck to its proposed May release, “I saw more and more problems splitting the market for 3-D right at the time when it will be becoming the most exciting thing in moviegoing,” Katzenberg told The Reporter. “Instead of splitting the market, I want to see it get launched in the best possible way.”

Katzenberg predicted that there would be 5,000-8,000 3-D screens available domestically by the time “Monsters” rolls out in 2009. While a 2-D version of the film also will play in smaller markets, the majority of its U.S. dates will use the new 3-D technologies.

With its new release date, “Monsters” will have an eight-week window in the 3-D corridor before “Avatar” takes over for the Memorial Day holiday.

Given that digital 3D movies have staying power, this should just about give MvA enough time to complete its run. Variety also has an article about it, but it ads little new, other than Katzenberg quipping that “In 2009, summer begins on March 29,” though what is more likely is that on that day the power of digital 3D in cinemas will be tested as it outnumbers the releases on 35mm film or even regular 2D digital.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Posted in Analysis

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