Now with high protein Add On.
As per usual, the Nikkster gives us the box office low-down early-on.
1. Shrek Forever After 3D (DWA/Par) NEW [4,359 Theaters] -- Friday $20M, Estimated Weekend $70M
2. Iron Man 2 (Marvel/Paramount) Week 3 [4,177 Theaters] -- Friday $7.8M, Estimated Weekend $27M, Estimated Cume $251M
3. Robin Hood (Universal) Week 2 [3,505 Theaters] -- Friday $5.5M (-57%), Estimated Weekend $17M, Estimated Cume $54M
4. Letters To Juliet (Summit) Week 2 [2,975 Theaters] -- Friday $3M (-40%), Estimated Weekend $9.5M, Estimated Cume $22M
5. MacGruber (Rogue/Universal) NEW [2,551 Theaters] -- Friday $1.6M, Estimated Weekend $4.5M
Having seen Shrek IV this very day, I would say it's a pretty good installment of the franchise and that the 3-D is excellent. (And I am shocked, shocked that MacGruber tanked on its opening night. Maybe the fact that it's like visual chloroform has something to do with it ...)
Add On: The ogre comes in under expectations at $72 million, and Dragon takes a 63% hit (in contrast to its 265 declines over the course of its run) for a domestic accumulation of $211 million.
Even so, it must be gratifying for DWA to have two animated features in the Top Ten at the same time. Like, how often does that happen? (If ever?)
Posts
29 comments:
So, upon opening, is it now officially "Shrek Forever After" or "Shrek: the Final Chapter"? The merchandising and poster/trailers can't seem to agree.
(After all, it could be confusing for Dreamworks to have their studio flagship for the season hyped under two different titles, with the audience unsure of which movie they're looking up--Hope other studios aren't facing any similar problems with that.) ;)
so is $70M above or below expectations?
I thought I heard $90M was the expected opening weekend, direct from DW, and even with that news their stock price took a hit. I can't imagine $20M less than that will be good for Dreamworks, despite Dragon's slow burn into a successful run.
That number is unreal for Shrek 4. $70 million is way below expectations, especially with 3D. Shrek 3 made $120 million in its opening weekend without the help of 3D, and it went up against Pirates 3 and Spiderman 3.
It's still making money. Even if it's less then the last one.
is it any good? i know that is really besides the point of movies, but what is the verdict on the forth television installment of the shrek merchandise line.
I snuck into the theater to watch it. I'm not paying to see that crap.The story was BEYOND retread. None of the shrek films have a very good story--they're slim vehicles for pop culture joke. All of which have fallen flat since the initial laugh wore off 10 years ago.
The animation is ok, but boy, it's just as ugly as all the other films. BAD designs for both character and environments.
So does it bother you ^ at all not to know what the public likes?
I worked on Shrek 4 and honestly did not like the story or the designs. So many co-workers were ranting and raving that it was so good that it caused me to question my taste in movies. At least I now know I wasn't crazy.
The first film DID have a story, it DID have characters with personalities and overall it actually had substance and even heart--beyond the over-quoted cliched line everyone says-"pop-culture references". It was also a very funny comedy. So was 2.
3 was a lame ass botch.
The last film is very good, much more straight and serious than the other 3 while still being a comedy. All the haters and naysayers and fanboys who go on & on aren't watching the films for what they actually are or more probably never saw any of them to begin with.
That said, the original designs are possibly the ugliest ever done for a mainstream animated CG film. So the fact that the films have been hits really speaks to how good the story and characters are and how well they do work.
I think if you try to be a little objective about this, what it really comes down to is DreamWorks is paying the price for crapping out Shrek 3. To some animators and critics, they all suck, but the public absolutely adored Shrek and Shrek 2, and wanted to love Shrek 3. Number 3 was a virtual 'how-to' of bad feature animation: bad story, incompetent direction, indifferent art direction, pathetic layouts, and direct-to-video quality animation. A lot of people were given responsibilities on that movie they couldn't handle, the film sucked, and Shrek 4 (a much better film) is paying the price.
$71M for the weekend. I know this will be talked about as a flop, but if you ask me it's still a success and will get back the money it cost to make.
So I guess this proves that old, tired franchises are likely to deliver relatively bad box office.
You paying attention, Disney?
I can't WAIT to see how that Muppet movie will do... :P
From what I understand that this is only a disappointment as far as Shrek films go and this was actually the 4th best opening for an animated film.
Hopefully TS3's opening weekend will be as disappointing
You paying attention, Disney?
Disney, or Disney Animation? Disney Animation Studios (Disney Feature) has never made a sequel...EVER.
Disney Toons has, however.
psst...Rescuers Down Under,,,?
- Rescues Down Under (Sequel to The Rescuers)
- Winnie The Pooh (2011 Release, Sequel to The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh)
Granted Disney hasn't made a sequel to every successful movie they've had. The Sword and the Stone would be just coming out if that was the case. With one movie every year, the whole 90's animation boom would have never happened.
Anyways, will this be the last we see of Shrek? I doubt it. We still have the Puss In Boots movie next year, and don't think they won't put the big Ogre in there to entice crowds. Plus they are still working on various TV Specials.
And to the person wishing the same failures on Toy Story 3. Why all the hate? Without the Toy Story franchise there would be no Ogres, Dragons, and talking 3D animals. I'm not saying no one would have eventually made a CGI Animated film, I'm just saying things probably would have turned out different.
Every CGI Animation lover should be happy to see the Toys returning to the screen. I for one love all animated movies (at least the ones that are well made, despite studios), I'll be welcoming them back with open arms.
Last thing. $70 Million is still pretty darn good if you ask me.
And to the person wishing the same failures on Toy Story 3. Why all the hate?
I think the person who wrote that mean it ironically. I.e., that if Toy Story 3 opens at over 71 million, it will be the biggest Pixar or Disney opening EVER. Not hate, just perspective.
Shrek's not in the Puss in Boots film. Totally different timeline. No ogres at all. It's about the cat.
BoxofficeMojo has a nice article that puts Shrek Forever After into perspective,
in terms of attendance the fourth Shrek wouldn't make the top 20 of animated films, in it's first weekend, but extremely high ticket prices boosted it to #4.
Shrek3 had an opening weekend of 121.6 million, without the help of 3D or IMAX...
Shrek2 had 108.0 million,
So, this 71.3 that Shrek4 pulls in, is WAY below average,
Dragons showed us great wings, and maybe Shrek4 will have a great boxofficerun, it's not too late.
I won't be seeing it in theaters though, was tired of the franchise after seeing #2
C'mon, let's not pretend this thing didn't flop. I don't mean in making profit, which Shrek 4 still will.
If Toy Story 3 opened to the same number (and let's assume there was no Shrek 4 number to compare to), there would have been a lot of ecstatic people on this site because it opened so low relative to its expectations.
I'm just speaking as someone who expected much more from Shrek 4. This number is very disappointing.
I think this proves that 3-D is a waning fad. Audiences, especially families with several kids in tow don't think it's worth the premium 3-D tax. And I think they avoid the 2-D version because they feel it's a lesser product.
The 3D boom in the1950s lasted 2 years. And they didn't have higher ticket prices to contend with. I give this boom another two years.
I think this proves that 3-D is a waning fad
Uh, I think it proves that Shrek is a waning fad...
Before you start making predictions about what would happen if TS3 had these numbers you might want to look at all of Pixar's opening numbers. 72 mill would be an excellent opening weekend for Pixar and make everyone at Disney/Pixar pretty damn happy.
the reason why these numbers are disappointing for DW is they've done much better - especially with the Shrek franchise...
We stopped seeing or should I say stopped paying for 3D films even when Dragon came out. Its not worth the extra money and getting another pair of glasses to put in the draw. The classic 2D version will be just fine as long as its a good movie and not just eye candy like the blue people from Pandora radio. And no, I am not giving the glasses back if I have paid for them. Maybe they can be repurposed with one of the upcoming 3D tv formats. Of course each one has to be different.
Sure it's lower than expected, its still a bigger opening weekend than any pixar, disney or bluesky film has EVER had.
It's only disappointing when compared to shrek 2 or 3's opening weekend.
DreamWorks is paying the price for crapping out Shrek 3. To some animators and critics, they all suck, but the public absolutely adored Shrek and Shrek 2, and wanted to love Shrek 3. Number 3 was a virtual 'how-to' of bad feature animation
Funny thing. A DreamWorks Animation person said almost the same thing to me today: "They used to B team for the third Shrek, and they're paying for it with the results we're seeing on Shrek IV."
I have no clue whether this assertion is true or not (Who would?) But I think it's safe to say that the latest Shrek is performing below expectations. (Regardless, I liked the feature, as did the House teenager.)
I guarantee you if Toy Story 3 opens to $71M, regardless of if it was the "biggest Pixar opening ever," there will be a lot of people at Disney disappointed as hell (and the Pixar fanboys will be crying).
I can buy the Shrek 3 "B team made it so Shrek 4 is paying the price" story. This is also called "killing the golden goose." I think Dreamworks will learn their lesson from this and not make the same mistake with Panda and Dragon.
Post a Comment