'Monsters' looking for big 3-D opening

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i21fd82b8e716e6711601de53f5f74c61

 

Screen count lags, but pic should get boost at boxoffice

By Carl DiOrio

March 24, 2009, 08:16 PM ET

 

The only thing missing has been a megaphone.

That's how unabashed a cheerleader for 3-D projection DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg has been in recent years. His tireless efforts on behalf of the technology's rollout in theaters nationwide finally should pay off Friday, when Paramount bows DWA's 3-D animated feature "Monsters vs. Aliens" in more than 2,000 extra-dimensional auditoriums.

But jubilation will be muted by the realization that DWA aimed to open the pic in more than twice as many 3-D venues before a protracted credit crunch slowed the costly rollout of digital 3-D projectors. Meanwhile, the Glendale-based studio has converted its entire production infrastructure to 3-D movies, and many on Wall Street -- and more than a few in Hollywood -- still recall Katzenberg predicting that as many as 5,000 3-D screens would be in place for DWA's first extra-dimensional outing.

Still, "Monsters" should get ample coverage in most major markets, thanks to its biggest-ever tally of 3-D playdates. Additional 2-D distribution will put the pic in about 4,000 theaters overall, with a screen count of about 7,000.

So consensus estimates figure "Monsters" for a healthy, if not truly monster, opening weekend. Rated PG, the film boasts a voice cast topped by Reese Witherspoon and is likely to bow atop the weekend boxoffice with $50 million or so through Sunday.

Such a launch would give "Monsters" a shot at grossing $200 million in domestic boxoffice -- hardly the type of run to grouse about. What has gone right in the absence of a big base of 3-D screens?

Two points are key:

-- Only about 2,000 venues are big moneymakers during any theatrical run, with the balance much smaller venues of less significance to a film's boxoffice success.

-- Most theaters charge a premium of $3 or more for 3-D tickets, which will boost "Monsters' " grosses.

Wall Street has tracked boxoffice prospects for "Monsters" closely because DWA is publicly traded and Katzenberg's 3-D gambit always has seemed a high-wire act. But analysts are confident the pic will perform well enough.