"Shrek the Third" breaks records in money and fans · 2007-05-21 13:33
"Shrek the Third" took in $122 million in its first weekend, breaking the record for best debut ever for an animated film.
The latest adventure of the ogre shot past 2004's "Shrek 2," the previous record-holder for animated openings with $108 million.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount, "Shrek the Third" was the third-biggest debut ever, coming in behind the $151.1 million haul of this month's "Spider-Man 3" and the $135.6 million gross of last summer's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."
"The opening was significantly beyond our expectations," said Anne Globe, head of marketing for DreamWorks Animation. "”The movie played much more like an all-audience movie. It played broadly to general and family audiences."
Adding in $900,000 the movie grossed during previews Thursday night, "Shrek the Third" has taken in $122.9 million, Forbes.com informs.
Factoring in higher admission prices, "Shrek the Third" also drew more fans ??“ 18 million ??“ than did "Shrek 2," which pulled in 17.4 million people over opening weekend.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC.
1. "Shrek the Third," $122 million.
2. "Spider-Man 3," $28.5 million.
3. "28 Weeks Later," $5.15 million.
4. "Disturbia," $3.7 million.
5. "Georgia Rule," $3.5 million.
6. "Fracture," $2.4 million. 7. "Delta Farce," $1.8 million.
8. "The Invisible," $1.3 million.
9. "Hot Fuzz," $1.26 million.
10. "Waitress," $1.14 million.
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