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Tag: DreamWorks Animation

  • Marjorie Cohn to lead DreamWorks’s TV efforts

    Marjorie Cohn to lead DreamWorks’s TV efforts

    MUMBAI: DreamWorks Animation has tapped Marjorie Cohn, a 26-year veteran of Nickelodeon, as its first-ever head of television.

     

    Cohn and her team will be responsible for the development and production of 1,200 new original episodes over the next five years. The production slate will feature series based on current DreamWorks’ franchises, future films and heritage properties from Classic Media. Cohn most recently held the role of president of content development at Nickelodeon.

     

    Joining Cohn is Mark Taylor as head of TV production. Taylor was most recently at the helm of Nickelodeon Animation Studio. He also previously served as senior VP and general manager at Nick and was responsible for all the network’s in-house animated productions.

     

    Rounding out the new leadership team is Peter Gal as head of TV development. He currently oversees creative on DreamWorks’ Dragons: Riders of Berk and Turbo F.A.S.T. He spent three years as the VP of production at Twentieth Century Fox and before that spent five years at Nickelodeon developing animated programming, including the DreamWorks’ inspired Penguins of Madagascar.

     

    “Having Margie join us to oversee our television efforts is an incredible coup for DreamWorks Animation. She is uniquely suited with the experience, skill and creativity to immediately dive in and oversee our aggressive expansion into this space,” said DreamWorks Animation’s chief operating officer Ann Daly. “Margie has tremendous instincts when it comes to kids’ programming, and we can’t wait to unleash her creative force on DreamWorks’ vast IP to bring exciting new content to families across the world.”

  • Lucian Grainge, Jason Kilar elected to DreamWorks Animation board of directors

    Lucian Grainge, Jason Kilar elected to DreamWorks Animation board of directors

    MUMBAI: DreamWorks Animation announced that at its upcoming annual meeting of stockholders, scheduled to be held on 29 May, 2013, current directors Nathan Myhrvold and Richard Sherman will retire from the company‘s board of directors.
     
    Universal Music Group chairman CEO Lucian Grainge and Hulu former CEO Jason Kilar will be nominated for election as new directors.
     
    Myhrvold is Intellectual Ventures CEO and has served on the DreamWorks Animation board of directors since the company went public in October of 2004. Sherman is The David Geffen Company CEO and has served as a DreamWorks Animation board member since November 2008.

    Dreamworks Animation founder and CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said, "Nathan has served on our board for nearly ten years during which time his unique perspective and wise counsel has been invaluable – he will truly be missed. Likewise, Richard has played a pivotal role in maximizing the potential of our business and I am incredibly grateful for his contributions over the years.
     
    "Looking ahead, I am beyond excited at the prospect of welcoming Lucian and Jason to our Board. They are true superstars in their respective fields – Jason revolutionized how we consume content and Lucian is one of the most innovative forces in the music industry. The addition of their expertise to our already incredibly strong board will help take the company to new heights as we continue to grow our brand."

  • Lionsgate in deal with M-Go

    Lionsgate in deal with M-Go

    MUMBAI: US digital entertainment service M-Go, which is a JV between DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor and entertainment company Lionsgate, are partnering to bring Lionsgate‘s movies and TV shows, including ‘The Hunger Games‘ and ‘Twilight‘ film franchises, ‘Tyler Perry‘s Madea‘ films and the TV series ‘Mad Men‘, to M-Go customers for purchase or rental.

    M-Go has already secured direct content deals with many of Hollywood‘s studios and now adds Lionsgate. M-Go adds that this partnership further boosts its library of the newest releases of movies and TV shows. The two companies will also explore new content delivery models as part of their shared commitment to best serve their consumers. To kick off the partnership, M-Go will offer the ‘Mad Men‘ series catalogue so that people can discover the show for the first time.

    Fans can also catch up on missed episodes. Lionsgate president of worldwide television, digital distribution Jim Packer said, “M-Go is exactly the kind of entrepreneurial partner with whom we like to be in business, and our partnership underscores the growing spectrum of digital and traditional platforms available for monetising our content.

    “We‘re pleased to give M-GO access to our full range of content because they share our commitment to being at the forefront of home entertainment initiatives designed to meet the changing needs of our consumers.”

    M-Go CEO John Batter said, “Getting Lionsgate content was a top priority for M-Go. Being the ‘people-friendliest‘ digital entertainment service means never resting until we have secured the entertainment people want most at their fingertips such as their hot content like ‘Nashville‘, ‘Anger Management‘ and ‘The Impossible‘.

    “We look forward to working with Lionsgate to lead the industry by pioneering new ways to maximize the benefits of digital by providing amazing entertainment instantly and earlier than ever before for consumers in the US.”

    M-GO is available for at home or on the go viewing on platforms and functions on operating systems ranging from Android to iOS to Windows. M-GO will be pre-loaded on LG Electronics Smart TVs, Samsung‘s Smart TV‘s, Blu-ray players and Wi-Fi tablets, Vizio‘s Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, Wi-Fi tablets and digital media players, and Intel® Ultrabook devices.

  • DreamWorks Animation reports net loss of $36.4 mn for the fiscal

    DreamWorks Animation reports net loss of $36.4 mn for the fiscal

    MUMBAI: DreamWorks Animation has reported total revenue of $749.8 million and a net loss of $36.4 million for the fiscal ended 31 December 2012.

    For the fourth quarter of the fiscal, the company reported total revenue of $264.7 million and a net loss of $82.7 million.

    Impacting DreamWorks Animation‘s fourth quarter and full-year 2012 results is a charge of approximately $165 million, which includes a write-down of film costs for ‘Rise of the Guardians‘ in the amount of $87 million, charges totaling $54 million related to the company‘s decision to return ‘Me And My Shadow‘ back to development, a write-off of a number of other development projects in the amount of $20 million and a charge of $4.6 million related to restructuring activities.

    DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said, “While ‘Rise of the Guardians‘ did not achieve the level of box office success that we have come to expect from a DreamWorks Animation film, we have made several changes to our future slate that we believe will position us well for the next two years. We are now looking ahead to our next release – and our first under our new distribution agreement with Twentieth Century Fox – ‘The Croods‘ on March 22, 2013.”

    ‘Rise of the Guardians‘, which has grossed $302.3 million at the worldwide box office, contributed revenue of $6.1 million to the quarter.‘

    ‘Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted‘, which has grossed $746.6 million at the worldwide box office, contributed revenue of $95.2 million to the quarter, primarily from home entertainment and international box office. The film reached an estimated six million net home entertainment units sold worldwide through the end of the fourth quarter, net of actual and estimated future returns.

    ‘Puss In Boots‘ contributed $10.5 million of revenue to the quarter, primarily from pay television and home entertainment. The film reached an estimated 6.2 million home entertainment units sold worldwide through the end of the fourth quarter, net of actual and estimated future returns.

    ‘Kung Fu Panda 2‘ contributed $4.8 million of revenue to the quarter, primarily from home entertainment. The film reached an estimated 6.5 million home entertainment units sold worldwide through the end of the fourth quarter, net of actual and estimated future returns.

    Library, which now includes ‘Megamind‘, contributed approximately $63.4 million of revenue to the quarter. Other items, including holiday television specials and live theatrical properties, contributed approximately $53.1 million of revenue to the quarter. Classic Media contributed approximately $31.6 million of revenue to the quarter.

    Costs of revenue for the quarter equaled $354 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses totaled $36.5 million, including approximately $3.1 million of stock-based compensation expense.

    The company‘s income tax benefit for the fourth quarter was $42.4 million. The company‘s combined effective tax rate – the actual tax rate coupled with the effect of the Company‘s tax sharing agreement with a former stockholder – was approximately 34.3 per cent for the fourth quarter.

    The company‘s full year 2013 results are expected to be driven primarily by the performance of ‘The Croods‘, which is scheduled to be released on 22 March and ‘Turbo‘, which is scheduled to be released on 19 July.

  • DreamWorks Animation and Regions GC to develop theme parks in Russia

    DreamWorks Animation and Regions GC to develop theme parks in Russia

    MUMBAI: Guests of all ages can anticipate an all-new entertainment experience unlike any other as DreamWorks Animation and Regions Group of Companies have signed a licensing agreement to develop Europe‘s largest indoor theme parks, and the first to feature the franchises of DreamWorks Animation in major cities throughout Russia.

    The theme parks, scheduled to open in 2015, will be located in St Petersburg, Moscow, and Yekaterinburg. Regions Group of Companies will design, build and manage all properties.

    The DreamWorks Animation theme parks will be Europe‘s largest year-round indoor entertainment zones, and in each instance will be part of a larger entertainment development featuring a mixed-use movie and concert hall, 4D movie theater, three-star 400-room hotel, and a retail center with 11,000 parking spaces. The height of each park will be 35 meters, comparable to a 13-floor building, giving visitors the sense of being outdoors.

    Each park will feature immersive environments, state-of-the-art attractions, and character entertainment bringing to life DreamWorks Animation‘s beloved franchises including: Shrek, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda, in addition to yet-to-be released DreamWorks Animation feature films including Turbo, which is set for its worldwide debut in Russia on July 11 before arriving in US theaters on July 19.

    “DreamWorks Animation parks are ambitious projects unprecedented in Russia and the rest of the world. The foundation of our success lies in the DreamWorks team‘s wealth of experience in the field of entertainment and the experience of the REGIONS Group of Companies in developing and managing retail and entertainment centers,” commented Regions GC Member of the Board of Directors Amiran Mutsoev.

    Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted – the third installment in the blockbuster hit franchise about the adventures of Alex the Lion and his friends from the Central Park Zoo- is currently the second highest-grossing animated film in Russia‘s box office history and the fourth highest-grossing film of all time in Russia. Six of the top 10 animated films of all time in Russia are DreamWorks Animation pictures: Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted, Shrek Forever After, Puss In Boots, Madagascar Escape 2 Africa, Kung Fu Panda 2 and How to Train Your Dragon.

    “Russia is one of the most important markets in the world for us,” said DreamWorks Animation‘s Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Katzenberg. “All of us at DWA are extremely excited to work with REGIONS CG to be the first Hollywood studio to create not just one, but three theme parks in Russia. These parks are going to be groundbreaking cultural hubs that will give families the chance to truly enter the world of DreamWorks.”

  • Netflix teams up with DreamWorks for original Kids series

    Netflix teams up with DreamWorks for original Kids series

    MUMBAI: Online content platform Netflix has partnered DreamWorks Animation to create the first ever Netflix Original Series for kids based on the highly-anticipated DreamWorks Animation movie Turbo.

    The Netflix series titled Turbo: F.A.S.T. (Fast Action Stunt Team) debuts exclusively this December in the United States and across the globe in the 40 countries where Netflix offers its service.

    “Families love Netflix, so creating an original series for kids was a natural for us. And we‘re doing it in a big way by adapting Turbo, this year‘s DreamWorks Animation summer tent pole movie,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.

    “DreamWorks Animation has a long track record of creating incredibly successful characters and stories that delight people of all ages. We‘re thrilled to add Turbo the series as well as all new DreamWorks Animation films, starting with their 2013 slate, to Netflix.”
    “Netflix boasts one of the largest and fastest-growing audiences in kid’s television. They pioneered a new model for TV dramas with House of Cards, and now together, we‘re doing the same thing with kids‘ programming,” said DreamWorks Animation‘s CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.

    DreamWorks Animation‘s Turbo is a high velocity 3D comedy about an ordinary snail who dares to dream big – and fast. After a freak accident miraculously gives him the power of super-speed, Turbo kicks his dreaming into overdrive and embarks on an extraordinary journey to achieve the seemingly impossible: competing in the Indianapolis 500.

    The film, which stars Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader , Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez , Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Kurtwood Smith, Snoop Lion and Samuel L. Jackson, comes to theaters on 19 July.

    Turbo‘s pursuit of racing greatness continues in Turbo: F.A.S.T.: an episodic animated television series that picks up where the feature film leaves off. It showcases the world-traveling exploits of our snail hero and his tricked-out racing crew as they master outrageous new stunts and challenges any villain unlucky enough to cross their path.

    In addition to the original TV series Turbo: F.A.S.T., new DreamWorks Animation feature titles will be made available for Netflix members in the U.S. to watch beginning with the studio‘s 2013 film line-up.

  • Signs of Hollywood, China teaming showing results

    Signs of Hollywood, China teaming showing results

    MUMBAI: The first signs of cooperation between Hollywood filmmakers and their Chinese counterparts are showing up.
    In August, DreamWorks Animation, known for making animated hits like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, officially launched its joint-venture with three Chinese media companies. The firm is scheduled to make the next installment in the Kung Fu Panda series and open a theme park in Shanghai.
    At the same time, James Cameron, who successfully directed Avatar and Titanic, also made his entry into China when he co-founded Cameron Pace Group with China Film Group Corp. and they agreed to cooperate on a 3D documentary about the history of Beijing.
    The JV structure allows Hollywood to gain entry to a market it sees as fast-growing. It also allows Hollywood studios and their Chinese counterparts to circumvent government rules limiting the number of foreign films that can be shown each year in the country.
    In February, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television, the country‘s media watchdog, had averred that it would allow the number of foreign-made films allowed into the country this year to rise from 20 to 34.
    More significantly, in the same month, Beijing signed an agreement with Washington that means films made by the JVs will not be counted against the quota.
    In the first half of 2012, four of the five films that attracted 10 million ticket buyers were made in the US, the remaining being those from China.

  • DreamWorks Animation inks distribution deal with Twentieth Century Fox

    DreamWorks Animation inks distribution deal with Twentieth Century Fox

    MUMBAI: American animation studio DreamWorks Animation has entered into a new five-year distribution agreement with Twentieth Century Fox.

    Under the terms of the agreement, Fox will assume certain marketing and distribution responsibilities in both domestic and international markets for all animated feature films produced by DreamWorks Animation for release in 2013 through 2017.
    Fox will receive a distribution fee on worldwide theatrical and home video gross receipts as well as on international television, and on certain digital businesses, including rentals, SVOD and EST.
    DreamWorks Animation will retain the rights to distribute its product in the domestic television windows without paying a fee to Fox.
    “Fox has long been an industry leader in both theatrical and home video thanks in large part to its well-integrated approach to distribution across a wide range of platforms around the globe,” said DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg.
    “Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman have built a world-class distribution team and we are excited to apply their expertise, robust infrastructure and global resources so that DreamWorks Animation‘s films can reach their fullest possible potential over the next five years.”
    “DreamWorks Animation is a great company that makes terrific films and everyone here feels privileged and honored to have been chosen to distribute their marvelous work throughout the world,” stated Fox Filmed Entertainment CEOs and chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman.
    “We are particularly excited to add DreamWorks Animation‘s films to the strong and growing slate of movies from our outstanding Blue Sky Studios division, which is coming off another global blockbuster with Ice Age: Continental Drift, and has EPIC and RIO 2 in advanced production. Together we will be a dominant force in animated entertainment for years to come.”
    “Starting in 2013, DreamWorks Animation content will be distributed in the more traditional markets under a fee structure that is similar to our existing arrangement with our current distributor,” continued Katzenberg.
    “However, our new agreement with Fox presents more favorable economics overall for DreamWorks Animation because we are taking advantage of lower costs associated with the emerging digital distribution landscape and managing domestic television distribution in-house.”

  • Ice Age sequel tops overseas BO with $78 mn

    Ice Age sequel tops overseas BO with $78 mn

    MUMBAI: Releasing more than two weeks before its July 13 in US and Canada, Blue Sky Studio‘s Ice Age: Continental Drift, which was released by 20th Century Fox in 9,505 screens including some 4,200 3D screens in 34 markets, took the number one spot with a weekend intake of $78 million.

    At no 2, The Amazing Spider-Man raked up worldwide box office of $2.5 billion till date from 6,068 sites in just 13 markets drawing $50.2 million over the weekend.
    Continental Drift is the fourth title in the increasingly remunerative computer animation franchise that has grossed $1.918 billion worldwide in the last 10 years. “It took the top spot in each of its opening markets, said a Fox statement.
    Continental Drift‘s opening strength in Latin and South America was impressive. It set debut records in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Central America and in Chile. The Mexico premiere drew $13.8 million from 2,516 situations. Brazil kicked in $6.9 million at 1,010 spots. In France, the animation sequel notched the biggest opening of the year, generating $11.8 million at 1,072 venues Australia which contributed $6.4 million at 580 locations.

    The original 2002‘s Ice Age, grossed a total of $381.8 million globally with most of that ($207 million) coming from overseas playoff. The worldwide take for 2006‘s Ice Age 2: The Meltdown increased to $649.5 million with $457 million derived from the foreign circuit. Continental Drift opens this week in 14 markets including Germany and Holland.

    The Amazing Spider-Man concentrated on Asian openings with South Korea ($13.4 million at 1,213 sites), Japan ($11.4 million drawn from 1,092 spots) and India ($6 million at 1,236 venues) throwing off the biggest numbers.
    It may be remembered that Sony had decided to skip many European markets until the Euro Cup soccer tournament ended. However, a No. 1 Germany bow produced $4.2 million at 755 locations.

    Third on the weekend was DreamWorks Animation‘s Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted, that drew $16.2 million in its fourth round overseas playing at 7,011 locations in 44 territories.

  • Madagascar 3 to premiere at Cannes

    Madagascar 3 to premiere at Cannes

    MUMBAI: Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted will have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

    The Paramount and DreamWorks Animation film, which will release on 8 June, will be the first major studio title to surface in connection with Cannes, a popular place to launch summer tentpoles.

    So far, only the opening-night film has been officially announced, Wes Anderson‘s Moonrise Kingdom, which Focus Features is releasing in the U.S.

    An official announcement about Madagascar 3 is expected in the coming days.

    Earlier, Paramount and DreamWorks Animation‘s Kung Fu Panda made its world premiere at the festival in 2008.