Poll
Question:
How long do they got?
Option 1: Until Kung Fu Panda 3....which is now released and doing worse than the last one (WHICH BOMBED IN THIS COUNTRY)
votes: 1
Option 2: *INSERT SHITTY UNNECESSARY CASHGRAB DREAMWORKS SEQUEL HERE* shutters them
votes: 0
Option 3: They make it to one more slate
votes: 0
Option 4: Katzenberg sells his soul to Sumner Redstone
votes: 0
Option 5: Katzenberg jumps off the balcony of his penthouse.
votes: 1
Option 6: Disney buys em for $5.00
votes: 1
Option 7: "Rumors of Dreamworks' demise are grossly exaggerated." - SAID THAT ONE GUY.
votes: 1
Lets not beat around the bush people, Dreamworks is pretty much doomed at this point....
- Three bigass flops they are STILL writing off.
- Disappointing takes from more established franchises (HTTYD3 seems like a real longshot at this point)
- multiple failed buyouts (Softbank, Hasbro, ETC.)
- stock value in constant sell mode
While its probably too early to start writing the eulogies for Jeffery Katzenberg's empire (no matter how much I'd want to at this point), we can estimate how long they've got so... enjoy.
I mean, HTTYD 2's been doing rather well on video, but it's astounding how few non-Shrek hits Dreamworks has actually had.
They really have been trying to broaden their horizons in the recent years, but yeah, things are not looking great for them right now financially.
How were Turbo, Mr. Peabody, and HTTYD2 flops? The first two made roughly double their budget back, and HTTYD2 made about four times its budget. The only film which could be classified as a bomb is Penguins, and that's only a few weeks old.
Quote from: Speedy on December 08, 2014, 09:09:51 AM
How were Turbo, Mr. Peabody, and HTTYD2 flops?
Because they lost money?
Rise of the Guardians: -$87,000,000
Turbo: -$13,500,000 (probably more after the SEC finishes its investigation)
Mr. Peabody and Sherman: -$57,000,000
Dragon is not a flop, however despite Katzenberg's attempt at sugar coating, you really can't call it a hit either since it sank the stock price.
I probably didn't take the marketing budget into account I guess.
I had to look up what you were referring to with SEC (yes, I know I've been out of the loop): http://nypost.com/2014/08/08/sec-probes-dreamworks-turbo-writedown/ . Jeez, that ain't good.
DreamWorks doesn't handle the marketing for their movies, only the production costs. The marketing is handled by the distributor (Paramount in ROTG's case, Fox in Turbo and Peabody's cases).
Nobody seems to know exactly how the box office revenues work, but I think that as a rule, half the revenue goes to the distributor and half stays with the theaters. DWA has had deals with Paramount and Fox in which 92% of their cut goes to them.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs28.postimg.org%2Fkzww2uzvx%2FThe_more_you_know_banner.jpg&hash=82089b54a6fd43b81a4fc7ac6f54f8172f78165b)
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/dreamworks-animation-cutting-500-jobs-takes-290-million-charge-1201412212/
Yikes.
R.I....who cares.
I don't think anyone here hates Dreamworks as much as you do.
Wow, all those jobs, though.
B.O.O. is back in development now? Everything around that film seems to have been a mess.
I remember reading back in 2013 that they'd inked a deal with Hasbro to produce toys based on that thing (http://investor.hasbro.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=781858)...I thought these toy deals weren't easy to back out of?
Quote from: Comeau on January 22, 2015, 04:26:43 PMhttp://variety.com/2015/film/news/dreamworks-animation-cutting-500-jobs-takes-290-million-charge-1201412212/
Yikes.
It's very unfortunate that this is happening, although I can see why DWA is heading this direction. They burned so many bridges during the 2000s that left a sour taste in the mouths of many animation fans and film critics. Their capitalization of Shrek, following Disney's example of dumping 2D without a second thought, their insistence on arbitrary celebrity voice work, and their films from
Shark Tale onward were total embarrassments. It's unfortunate, because
How to Train Your Dragon showed that they were getting their act together, but the box office numbers showed that the movie-going public had become closed-minded to their efforts to "be like Pixar" and were rejecting the company altogether. By the time they made their turnaround, it was too late. It's a shame, because they really were taking steps to fix their previous mistakes, but now they've lost so much money that they might not be able to do it.
Katzenberg had his chance to save his ass when SoftBank kicked the tires but the blowhard leaked the talks in hopes of sparking a bidding war. Disney had a hand in scuttling the Hasbro deal so that one had no chance anyway. Pity he's dragging down so much of this industry with him.
Dreamworks' future plans make no sense. How do you reduce your output to two films a year when you just shut off your ability to make just one.
I hope this isn't naïve of me - I don't work in the business - but I really hope those who remain at DWA can find safe landings (any kind of creative work, not just animation) and jump ship. The company will almost certainly be gone within two or three years, and it would be for the best if they could find certainty before DWA completely crashes.
On the other hand, I wonder who's going to buy DWA's assets (e.g. DreamWorks Classics, AwesomenessTV, Felix, the other IP) once the end comes. I'm semi-dreading that DreamWorks Classics will be picked up by some company like DHX, but I guess I'll have to see how DHX is going to treat their own stable of franchises (Yo Gabba Gabba!'s profile has dropped off considerably since they picked it up, but on the other hand I think they're going to be kinder to Inspector Gadget than DIC or Cookie Jar were - not that that's a high bar to jump, but still) before completely passing judgment on them.
wait, dreamworks used to make 2d animation?
Yeah. The Prince of Egypt, Joseph: King of Dreams, The Road to El Dorado, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (the latter of which tanked so hard that it almost bankrupted DreamWorks - which was still one company back then) were theirs.
I can understand why people hate DreamWorks Animation. They are responsible for about every bad trend that has emerged in animated movies since Shrek came out. Before that you would be hard-pressed to find many low-brow animated movies, and certainly you wouldn't find any that were top-sellers, and since then it seems the animated world has been awash in them aside from Pixar and recent Disney releases.
Of course I want those who had jobs there to continue in the field and make movies, hopefully more along the lines of DWA's better films, but as for the studio itself, I can't say I'll miss them as a whole.
They still have a bunch of movies lined up, so I'm sure the movies will keep being made even if they rearrange this studio.
Dreamworks was in talks to make a deal with Hasbro, but those plans fell through. Jefferey Katzenburg keeps asking for too much money and stroke, and as a result, nobody wants to play ball with him.
It's too bad that Katzenburg dropped the ball when it came to a buyout, because I enjoyed some of the Dreamworks animated films. I liked Mr. Peabody and Sherman, myself, although I'm obviously in the minority, given the film's poor performance at the box office.
They're collapsing again, as they plan to sell off the Glendale campus and instead of owning it, they will lease it back (http://deadline.com/2015/02/dreamworks-animation-sell-lease-glendale-liquidity-katzenberg-1201380687/).
I doubt Home will help them very much. They're back in full-on pop culture garbage mode from the trailers I've seen.
That the one with the incredibly annoying purple alien? Good god, that seems horrible.
That's the one. Hits every single one of Dreamworks' bad habits without shame.
Quote from: Nel_Annette on February 24, 2015, 11:46:40 PM
That the one with the incredibly annoying purple alien? Good god, that seems horrible.
And to add to Oh (the alien)'s annoyance factor, he's voiced by Jim Parsons.
I saw a prequel short starring those aliens,
Almost Home, in the theater before
Mr. Peabody & Sherman. Don't remember seeing the Jim Parsons alien though.
The obligatory kid in the movie, Gratuity "Tip" Tucci (get it?) has an appealing design, at least, though I'm not sure what to make of her character; in the initial trailer I saw, I figured she was about 12 or 13, but then they showed her driving a car.
Of course to make it trendy, she's voiced by Rihanna. :wth:
Home does seem like a more obnoxious Lilo & Stitch clone to me. The voice acting and trailers don't convince me that there'll be much more to it, either.
Quote from: Silverstar on February 25, 2015, 09:27:38 AM
Quote from: Nel_Annette on February 24, 2015, 11:46:40 PM
That the one with the incredibly annoying purple alien? Good god, that seems horrible.
And to add to Oh (the alien)'s annoyance factor, he's voiced by Jim Parsons.
You know what the worse part of that is? It's basically his character from Big Bang Theory in alien form. No really, all the quotes from the trailers & TV promos feels like Sheldon is in an alien suit and the humor comes from his misunderstanding of human life.
Oh, it's that motherfucker? I looooaaaaathe Big Bang Theory, and find that guy insanely obnoxious. The way they've got that alien talking in that "I just learned English so it's funny" way is cringe-worthy.
I agree with Silverstar too (nice to see you back, I don't think I've seen you in months), I actually really like the lead girl's design and find it depressing that she's being wasted on a movie this crap-looking.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on February 24, 2015, 11:41:50 PM
They're back in full-on pop culture garbage mode from the trailers I've seen.
Did they ever really get out of that?
Quote from: talonmalon333 on March 07, 2015, 07:57:57 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on February 24, 2015, 11:41:50 PM
They're back in full-on pop culture garbage mode from the trailers I've seen.
Did they ever really get out of that?
They did with the
How to Train Your Dragon films and
Rise of the Guardians, but those were few and far between.
Quote from: Silverstar on March 09, 2015, 07:35:36 AM
Quote from: talonmalon333 on March 07, 2015, 07:57:57 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on February 24, 2015, 11:41:50 PM
They're back in full-on pop culture garbage mode from the trailers I've seen.
Did they ever really get out of that?
They did with the How to Train Your Dragon films and Rise of the Guardians, but those were few and far between.
I thought I remembered someone here mentioning that they weren't as involved in How to Train Your Dragon.
Even Puss In Boots was a lot less reliant on pop culture gags. And that is a spin off of Shrek, of all things.
But then, Madagascar 3 was apparently a bigger hit than all of them, so that's what we get more of. Even the Penguins film was apparently a disappointment compared to the TV show.
It's sad when something good (in this case, Shrek) cases a bad movement. Seems to happen a lot in animation.
Kung-Fu Panda is also light on pop culture jokes. Then again, you could make a case that the movies are just one big pop culture reference, but it works for their sake.
Quote from: Homura Akemi on March 26, 2015, 02:01:41 AM
I've never seen a film with such lacklustre production values from DreamWorks. Nothing was inspired or unique about the film, it felt like fodder.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FixsiQDe.jpg&hash=c57201c40c34576b90fb54b3dc9243744eed77ee)
Quote from: Lord Dalek on March 27, 2015, 08:22:23 PM
Quote from: Homura Akemi on March 26, 2015, 02:01:41 AM
I've never seen a film with such lacklustre production values from DreamWorks. Nothing was inspired or unique about the film, it felt like fodder.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FixsiQDe.jpg&hash=c57201c40c34576b90fb54b3dc9243744eed77ee)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FyIm65dq.png&hash=22cb7a3fc82bfeea9e6ba471450c6f31b2fba02a)
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on March 27, 2015, 08:25:47 PM
Quote from: Lord Dalek on March 27, 2015, 08:22:23 PM
Quote from: Homura Akemi on March 26, 2015, 02:01:41 AM
I've never seen a film with such lacklustre production values from DreamWorks. Nothing was inspired or unique about the film, it felt like fodder.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FixsiQDe.jpg&hash=c57201c40c34576b90fb54b3dc9243744eed77ee)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FyIm65dq.png&hash=22cb7a3fc82bfeea9e6ba471450c6f31b2fba02a)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk%2Fi%2Fkeep-calm-and-afro-circus-2.png&hash=46d255db099b9b64e0bf9a1e810b90ea393a038d)
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 27, 2015, 08:29:34 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on March 27, 2015, 08:25:47 PM
Quote from: Lord Dalek on March 27, 2015, 08:22:23 PM
Quote from: Homura Akemi on March 26, 2015, 02:01:41 AM
I've never seen a film with such lacklustre production values from DreamWorks. Nothing was inspired or unique about the film, it felt like fodder.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FixsiQDe.jpg&hash=c57201c40c34576b90fb54b3dc9243744eed77ee)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FyIm65dq.png&hash=22cb7a3fc82bfeea9e6ba471450c6f31b2fba02a)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk%2Fi%2Fkeep-calm-and-afro-circus-2.png&hash=46d255db099b9b64e0bf9a1e810b90ea393a038d)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Faforeverquest.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F02%2Fdreamworksface.jpg&hash=1d1beb69fcb52fedf071991730612949db3d2a95)
Quote from: Lord Dalek on March 27, 2015, 08:34:15 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 27, 2015, 08:29:34 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on March 27, 2015, 08:25:47 PM
Quote from: Lord Dalek on March 27, 2015, 08:22:23 PM
Quote from: Homura Akemi on March 26, 2015, 02:01:41 AM
I've never seen a film with such lacklustre production values from DreamWorks. Nothing was inspired or unique about the film, it felt like fodder.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FixsiQDe.jpg&hash=c57201c40c34576b90fb54b3dc9243744eed77ee)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FyIm65dq.png&hash=22cb7a3fc82bfeea9e6ba471450c6f31b2fba02a)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk%2Fi%2Fkeep-calm-and-afro-circus-2.png&hash=46d255db099b9b64e0bf9a1e810b90ea393a038d)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Faforeverquest.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F02%2Fdreamworksface.jpg&hash=1d1beb69fcb52fedf071991730612949db3d2a95)
But Po never tried to court a human female.
How would sex even work between them? Wouldn't the bee just die afterwards?
Quote from: Daxdiv on March 27, 2015, 09:24:27 PM
How would sex even work between them? Wouldn't the bee just die afterwards?
Maybe he plans to build a beehive on her vagina so his children will mate with her in his place, ensuring his spirit lives on.
That would make for an interesting conversation starter.
"Excuse me, miss? Why do you have a beehive on your crotch?"
Quote from: Daxdiv on March 27, 2015, 09:31:13 PM
That would make for an interesting conversation starter.
"Excuse me, miss? Why do you have a beehive on your crotch?"
Stinger in the streets, swinger in the sheets.
Please, no more pictures. My eye sockets can only bleed so much.
Why do people keep saying "afro circus"? It was "circus afro".
Quote from: Nameless on March 30, 2015, 01:47:59 PM
Why do people keep saying "afro circus"? It was "circus afro".
It's even listed as afro circus on DreamWorks' official channel.
I admit that I think Bee Movie and Shark Tale aren't the worst thing in the world..even though they are probably the worst CG movies I've ever seen and would never watch them again.
The top execs' salaries are further down the toilet. (http://www.cartoonbrew.com/business/jeffrey-katzenbergs-salary-cut-to-mere-6-4-million-111926.html)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIB9czTvFdM
Is their slow-motion suicide still ongoing? Because they've largely kept themselves out of the news this year.
We'll find out when KFP 3 crashes and burns next month.
Now they want to merge with Paramount. (http://fortune.com/2016/03/01/dreamworks-ceo-jeffrey-katzenberg-were-interested-in-paramount-pictures-merger)
As if Paramount wants to chain themselves to that rusty boat anchor again. :humhumhum:
It's probably not happening. Viacom isn't selling Paramount outright before Sumner Redstone dies. He doesn't seem to have long to live anyway, so who knows.
Verizon buys stake in AwesomenessTV. (http://www.thevideoink.com/breaking-news/verizon-buys)
So I guess DWA is resorting to selling their subsidiaries to make ends meet.
Wouldn't surprise me if they were in a lot worse shape than they're letting up to be.
Quote from: Daikun on April 06, 2016, 04:16:33 PM
Verizon buys stake in AwesomenessTV. (http://www.thevideoink.com/breaking-news/verizon-buys)
So I guess DWA is resorting to selling their subsidiaries to make ends meet.
They already sold a piece of it to the Hearst Corporation in 2014. (http://www.hearst.com/newsroom/dreamworks-animation-and-hearst-corporation-announce-partnership-to-grow-awesomenesstv)
Comcast may acquire DWA for $3 billion. (http://www.businessinsider.com/comcast-may-acquire-dreamworks-animation-2016-4)
If this is legit, DWA's assets will be merged into Illumitoon with Meladandri running the company. A marriage made in hell if you ask me.
I admit, it does feel kind of vindicating to see the Classic Media properties brought up as examples of things Comcast might want to buy. They get ragged on a lot, and while most of it isn't exactly top-tier stuff, it does feel like older animation has fallen on hard times lately.
http://deadline.com/2016/04/comcast-buys-dreamworks-animation-1201745816/
It's a done deal. Got your ass saved there didn't ya Dreamworks?
Well they've lost their self-autonomity, Katzenberg got kicked up stairs, The Meladandri announcement is probably imminent, yeah welcome to DWAINO.
QuoteKatzenberg calls NBCU "the perfect home for our company." The $41 a share price represents a 27% premium over yesterday's closing price for DWA and "delivers significant value for our shareholders."
Because the most incompetent cable/media corporation in the world is the perfect place for an animation studio like DreamWorks. I guess for an idiot like him it makes perfect sense.
NBCUniversal is actually pretty decently run. It's not the dumpster fire it was under Jeff Zucker for sure.
I'm worried that the Illumination leadership will suck whatever ambition DWA has out of it, but I hope Universal is good to the DreamWorks Classics characters. They have a history with some of them anyway (e.g. Casper, Dudley Do-Right, Rocky & Bullwinkle - their adaptations of those last two set them back years, but Universal has a chance to redeem themselves now)
Quote from: Nameless on April 28, 2016, 02:25:11 PM
NBCUniversal is actually pretty decently run. It's not the dumpster fire it was under Jeff Zucker for sure.
I'm worried that the Illumination leadership will suck whatever ambition DWA has out of it, but I hope Universal is good to the DreamWorks Classics characters. They have a history with some of them anyway (e.g. Casper, Dudley Do-Right, Rocky & Bullwinkle - their adaptations of those last two set them back years, but Universal has a chance to redeem themselves now)
Not as bad as then, but seems like Blacklist is the only non-Hannibal show anyone gives a crap about.
Katzenberg should've just gone back to Spielberg. The other DreamWorks (the non-animation one) is owned by Amblin. They would've done wonders back together under the same roof, and Steven would've kept the company financially stable. Jeff, ya dun fucked up.
Oh, well. It's all in the past now. DWA is now Illumination's bitch. Minions Marketing Madness, here we come!
Quote from: Daikun on April 30, 2016, 04:36:13 AM
Katzenberg should've just gone back to Spielberg. The other DreamWorks (the non-animation one) is owned by Amblin. They would've done wonders back together under the same roof, and Steven would've kept the company financially stable. Jeff, ya dun fucked up.
Oh, well. It's all in the past now. DWA is now Illumination's bitch. Minions Marketing Madness, here we come!
Minions meet Shrek movie... when?
This acquisition could face an anti-trust lawsuit in China. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/comcasts-dreamworks-animation-acquisition-face-925331)
Rising YouTube Animation critic SaberSpark did an episode partly laying out the troubled history of DreamWorks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od-tQN8C48s
I agree DreamWorks has suffered quite a bit over the years by not having a full brand identity like Disney and Pixar, thanks in large part to them not having a consistent line of hits. I think the better point he makes though, is that DreamsWorks was almost cursed from the start since their foundation was revenge towards Disney. Thus they didn't have the right focus when they started gaining momentum.
NBCUniversal will be rebranding Sprout in September, and DWA will make up the backbone for its programming.
http://www.nickandmore.com/2017/05/01/sprout-rebranding-to-universal-kids
Good to know they finally have an outlet without having to resort to Netflix.
Katzenberg is starting a new web video firm called WndrCo. (http://variety.com/2017/digital/features/jeffrey-katzenberg-video-series-sun-valley-1202498768)
Well, bye, Jeff. It's been fun.
https://twitter.com/jimmortensen/status/916729936865509377
So, I guess this is the future of DWA under Comcast, huh? :whuh:
Universal is now releasing Antz and The Prince of Egypt on Blu-Ray for the first time.
https://www.uphe.com/movies/antz
https://www.uphe.com/movies/the-prince-of-egypt