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Monsters Scared Off by Avatar
James Cameron hasn't made a feature film in over a decade, but he's still King of the World.
Or at least the box office.
DreamWorks Animation has announced that it's moving up the release date of its upcoming 3-D cartoon Monsters vs. Aliens to avoid a showdown with Cameron's hotly anticipated 3-D action epic Avatar.
Both films, touted as revolutionary feats of moviemaking, were originally set to face off on May 15, 2009. But on Wednesday, DreamWorks Animation head honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg said his studio's film would instead hit multiplexes nearly two months earlier, on Mar. 27, 2009.
Hoping to avoid a battle royale with James Cameron's hotly anticipated 3-D action epic, , DreamWorks Animation has moved up the release date of its upcoming 3-D animated feature, from May 15, 2009 to Mar. 27, 2009.
The shift was necessary, said the mogul, to keep both films from splitting the burgeoning 3-D market as it was poised to become a major force in theatrical exhibition.
"Everyone has been concerned," Katzenberg told Variety. "These movies really were going to divide the marketplace."
The two films would have had to compete for space at what is predicted to be 2,000 locations with between 5,000 and 8,000 3-D screens by 2009. Now, Monsters vs. Aliens will have the 3-D window to itself during spring break and the Easter holiday, which falls on Apr. 12 of that year.
DreamWorks Animation has traditionally released two films a year, once in May and once in November. But Katzenberg remains confident that by moving up its release, Monsters vs. Aliens will still prove bankable.
The film, codirected by Conrad Vernon (the Shrek trilogy) and Rob Letterman (A Shark's Tale), is a satirical take on vintage fright flicks of the '50s and '60s.
Monsters was initially slated to unspool on May 22, 2009, but changed it to May 15th as soon as 20th Century Fox set the 22nd for the release of Avatar, Cameron's first feature since 1997's Titanic set the all-time box office record and cleaned up at the Oscars, prompting Cameron to crown himself King of the World.
The competition in March isn't quite as vaunted. Monsters vs. Aliens will do battle with Sony's 2-D animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which rolls into theaters on Mar. 27. Katzenberg doesn't seem to be worried, though, quipping: "In 2009, summer begins on Mar. 29."
Katzenberg said his studio will also release Monsters in a 2-D format for markets not equipped with special screens.
Aside from Cameron and Katzenberg, the new 3-D technologies has been championed by George Lucas, Peter Jackson and Robert Zemeckis. For now, there are two different processes, the older Imax 3-D and the emerging Real D. Zemeckis' next film, Beowulf, will be released in the latter format this November.
Meanwhile, during his presentation at the Goldman Sachs confab, Katzenberg took time to defend his DreamWorks' partner Steven Spielberg from some biting comments made by Viacom chief Philippe Dauman.
Dauman remarked that if Spielberg—who officially became an employee of the media giant after the Viacom's Paramount unit snapped up the studio in late 2005—decided to exit Paramount, it would be no big loss for his company.
"As a filmmaker, storyteller, artist and conscience, Spielberg is nothing short of a national treasure," Katzenberg told attendees. "To suggest not having Spielberg is 'completely immaterial' is ill-advised. I think calmer heads need to prevail."
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