Dreamworks Animation, Shrek Forever After | featured news

So much for the public's hunger for anything in 3D. DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek Forever After" bowed even more lightly than some had feared, with the family comedy topping domestic rankings with just $71.3 million in estimated weekend boxoffice. The latest Paramount-distributed pic about a lovable ogre and his family debuted with significantly less green stuff than the two previous "Shrek" sequels, which each fetched $100 million-plus in their first three days.

FRIDAY PM: Sources have shared with me the following domestic Friday numbers as well as estimated weekend and cume figures ... Analysis coming ... Numbers will be refined in the morning:
1 - Shrek Forever After 3D (DWA/Par) NEW [4,359 Theaters]
Friday $20M, Estimated Weekend $70M
2 - Iron Man 2 (Marvel/Paramount) Week 3 [4,177 Theaters]
Friday $7.8M, Estimated Weekend $27M, Estimated Cume $251M

DreamWorks Animation will announce its schedule for the next few years today, and nestled in among the expected sequels ("Shrek Forever After," "Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom") and spinoffs ("Puss in Boots") are an array of original high-profile projects.