Twentieth Century Fox’s remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still claimed the top stop at the North American box office, earning an estimated $31 million during its opening weekend. Meanwhile, Fathom Studios’ flagship CG-animated feature, Delgo, grossed less than a million dollars in its debut frame. Distributed by Freestyle Releasing in about 2,160 theaters, the fantasy indie took in an estimated $511,920 despite boasting a star-studded voice cast. Overture Films’ Christmas comedy Nothing Like the Holidays fared better, opening to roughly $3.5 million from just 1,671 theaters. The animated features Dragon Hunters from Futurikon and $9.99 from Israeli-born director/animator Tatia Rosenthal both kicked off their Oscar qualifying runs in Los Angeles, but opening results for the very limited engagements aren’t in yet.
With so much major-studio output, independent animated features have been having a tough time competing in the marketplace lately. Companies hoping to unleash the next Hoodwinked have been disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm from audiences. One of the most recent entries, Exodus Films’ Igor, was made for around $30 million and has only grossed about $27 million worldwide. Put out by the Weinstein Co., Igor enjoyed a more robust marketing campaign than Delgo, but still struggled to turn a profit. Lionsgate’s Happily N’Ever After performed a bit better, grossing just over $38 million around the world last year, while the Weinstein Co.’s Doogal, a reworking of the European release Sprung: The Magic Roundabout, only managed $7.4 million in the U.S. Another import, director Luc Besson’s Arthur and the Invisibles, did poorly in the states, though it ended up grossing $113 million worldwide.
With the majors all migrating to stereoscopic 3-D, the indies will have an even tougher time unless they embrace the latest technologies. The recently released 3-D space adventure Fly Me to the Moon from nWave Pictures and Illuminata Pictures was the first animated feature to be created specifically for stereoscopic exhibition, and managed a small profit with a worldwide gross of $32 million. LAIKA also had the foresight to shoot its first stop-motion feature, Coraline, in 3-D, which should help its chances of a successful theatrical run to kick off in February.
Delgo, which began its long journey to the big screen in 1998, couldn’t expect to compete aesthetically with Disney’s Bolt or DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar: Escape to Africa, which are both still in theaters. What Delgo does have going for it is the sci-fi/fantasy angle, which differentiates it from the talking animal fare.
