“Monsters vs. Aliens” pulled a robust $59.3 million for the three-day weekend on 7,300 screens, in a validation for 3-D cinema projection. Lionsgate’s horror film “The Haunting in Connecticut” grossed $23 million from half as many screens, in another strong debut, as cinema going continues to ride high despite the deep recession. Those figures are domestic box office—U.S. and Canada.
The movie industry’s eyes were on “Monsters” because the DreamWorks Animation film bet heavily on 3-D. “This weekend makes me confident that this is the beginning of the era, not just a passing fad,” said DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg in a “Wall Street Journal” article, referring to 3-D.
About 2,000 screens played Monsters in 3-D, which represent about 27% of total screens, but 56% of boxoffice dollars, so 3-D auditoriums grossed double regular screens. That means that roughly one quarter of screens accounted for half the dollars.
“Monsters” played on virtually all the domestic market’s 3-D screens — more than any other previous 3-D movie has played on. The 3-D screen ticket prices were roughly $2-$4 more than regular tickets.
Adds a “WSJ” article: “According to exit polls DreamWorks conducted over the weekend, nearly 40% of the people who saw the film in the standard, 2-D format actually wanted the 3-D experience, but couldn’t because it was sold out or wasn’t showing at a convenient time.” Once the film finishes its run, Katzenberg predicts 70-75% of Monsters total box office will have come from 3-D screens.
The article quotes “Marketing to Moviegoers” author Robert Marich, who believes 3-D will magnify returns of films that are popular with audiences but won’t save films that are not.
DreamWorks Animation pulled out all the stops in promoting the film and will spend around $165 million worldwide to promote the film, which included an $8 million, 90-second spot that ran in the Super Bowl.
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