Broken Frontier

The Summer Sequel Season is in full swing in Hollywood. Following in the footsteps of Spider-Man 3, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek the Third, the second highly-anticipated franchise feature to be released this month, brought in an estimated $122 million during its opening weekend ($122.9 when counting revenue generated at its Thursday night preview screenings).

The total gross makes Shrek the Third the top animated movie opener ever, as well as the biggest debut of all time for both Paramount and DreamWorks, the third best non-holiday opener, the highest ever for a PG-rated film and the fourth-biggest opening weekend in box-office history.

The previous records for PG and animated opener were both held by Shrek 2, posting $108 million during its debut weekend, and a total domestic gross of $436.7 million.

The only films to debut with bigger numbers were Spider-Man 3 ($151.1 million), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($135.6 million), and X-Men: The Last Stand ($122.9 million).

It’s widely anticipated that Shrek the Third’s records are about to change soon, with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End set to open during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend next week.

Still, DreamWorks Animation marketing head Anne Globe said the film significantly exceeded studio expectations: "We're extremely cautious in an intensely competitive environment, but we're hoping there's room for all of us."

Stories

'Shrek the Third' sets new animated b.o. record
The Hollywood Reporter

'Shrek' trek takes in $122 million
Variety