An unlikely player has emerged in computer animation, as Universal's Despicable Me rocked the box office over the weekend.
General Electric's
This is Universal's first animated theatrical feature to be released in 3-D, and its success comes at an appropriate time. RealD, the country's leading licensor of 3-D screens, is going public this week.
Exhibitors have been upgrading their theaters to accommodate premium-priced 3-D screenings. The recent ramp-up of IMAX
The surprising success of Despicable Me should help the RealD IPO, despite the 3-D specialist's history of red ink. If a studio that isn't Disney
Disney and DreamWorks Animation have already unloaded their big summertime computer-animated flicks. The results were mixed. Disney's Toy Story 3 has taken in more than $340 million in domestic ticket sales, topping Finding Nemo to become Pixar's highest grossing release. DreamWorks Animation's Shrek Forever After, on the other hand, is shaping up to be that studio's least successful entry in the Shrek franchise. These figures aren't adjusted for inflation, so it may downplay Disney's success but only adds insult to computer-rendered injury for DreamWorks Animation.
GE played this round perfectly. Despicable Me was promoted aggressively in recent weeks, even teaming up with Best Buy
The studio plastered its characters in unlikely places, and the move clearly worked in familiarizing audiences with a rookie franchise. Tack on a voice cast aiming for hipsters with Steve Carell, Russell Brand, and Jason Segel and it was the perfect blanketing strategy on Universal's behalf.
With favorable reviews likely to keep multiplex crowds coming over the next few weeks, don't be surprised if Despicable Me 2 is in the works in a couple of years.
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