Record weekend for 3D ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’

Monday, March 30. DreamWorks Animation's new film, Monsters vs. Aliens, enjoyed a record-breaking opening weekend in the US, raking in $58.2m. That is the biggest opening weekend gross this year and the best ever for an original animated film. The success of the picture, which follows a group of monsters as they prevent aliens from destroying earth, appears to have vindicated DreamWorks Animation's insistence that 3D cinema is the future.

Figures show that of the 7,000 cinemas showing Monsters only 2,100 (or 30 per cent) were equipped with 3D technology. However, those cinemas accounted for 56 per cent of the total ticket sales, indicating that audiences were seeking out a 3D experience – despite the fact that ticket prices are notably higher. "We really feel this is proof of concept for this new style of 3D," said Anne Globe, DreamWorks Animation's marketing chief.

If Monsters - which features the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen and Kiefer Sutherland - hadn't turned such a huge profit, DreamWorks Animation would have been in real trouble. It is the studio's only 2009 release and there is concern that the animation giant's standards have slipped since films like Shrek and Madagascar. Furthermore, CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has pinned his hopes on 3D animations and announced that all of his future films will be released in this format.

Meanwhile, there has been speculation among bloggers and filmgoers that Gallaxhar, the bald leader of the evil aliens in Monsters, was subtly modelled on Katzenberg himself. Animators haven't denied the claims yet and Katzenberg has said that he's not surprised. "I can see why people think Gallaxhar was modelled after me given my well-known obsession with plotting the obliteration of the world," said the filmmaker.

FIRST POSTED MARCH 30, 2009