MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Mr. Peabody & Sherman cost DreamWorks Animation $145 million to produce and Dreamworks Animation’s distribution deal with FOX gives an 8% fee of the theatrical and home video markets to use their distribution channel. The movie was originally dated for November 1, 2013 but FOX recommended they push it back to March 2014. It was rescheduled for March 7, opening against 300: Rise Of An Empire. In addition to an expensive marketing blitz, DreamWorks partnered with McDonald’s, Hallmark Cards, Funko for vinyl figures and bobbleheads, IDW Publishing and many other corporate promotional tie-ins. The pic opened as The Lego Movie was still going strong at the box office and Mr. Peabody & Sherman opened with $32,207,057 — placing #2 for the weekend led by 300. The pic had decent enough weekly holds and closed its domestic run with $111,506,430.

The animated movie pulled in $164,191,609 overseas and $275.6 million seems like very healthy worldwide box office gross, just not when the film cost a staggering $145 million to produce and about $125 million to market worldwide. DreamWorks Animation took a $57 million loss on this animated blunder and the troubled animation studio was just coming off a loss on Turbo and Rise Of The Guardians. In November 2014 DreamWorks Animation released Penguins Of Madagascar and took a $57.1 million write down. Along with Penguin’s impairment charge for the quarter, DreamWorks Animation also took a write down of $54.6 million for layoffs, and $155.5 million from unreleased movies B.O.O. and Monkeys Of Mumbai.