DreamWorks Studios

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Dia Matthews

DreamWorks SKG Studios

100 Universal City Plaza Dr.

Bldg. 5121 Universal City, CA 91608

(818)-733-9300

http://www.dreamworksstudios.com

Executives

Principal Partner Steven Spielberg, Source: dreamworksstudios.com [1]

CEO Michael Wright, Source: dreamworksstudios.com [1]

President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Small, Source: dreamworksstudios.com [1]

Holly Bario, President of Production Source: dreamworksstudios.com [1]

History

DreamWorks SKG is an American motion picture studio founded in 1994 by widely known director, Steven Spielberg, recording industry connoisseur David Geffen, and animation expert Jeffrey Katzenberg.The company started off with films like MouseHunt and The Peacemaker and even had a DreamWorks record label, but they struggled with any success beyond films and television and soon dropped the music label and arcade portions of the company. Katzenberg’s extremely successful animation became a subsidiary of its parent company and the money making DreamWorks Animations became welcome to shareholders as a new and separate company in 2004 with Katzenberg as the CEO. The DreamWorks SKG Studios still represents the first letters for the last names of the three head partners who started their company together. [1]

[2] Learn a little bit more about the unique Steven Spielberg above.

Summary

DreamWorks studios is responsible for the production, development, and distribution of its films, television programs, and video games. DreamWorks currently distributes and markets their films worldwide through their partnership with Walt Disney Studios [2]. In addition, the DreamWorks Picture Company holds a partnership with Reliance Entertainment and Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group to help co-produce, market, and distribute their films on a global scale [2]. Dreamworks Studios’s big competitors are Lionsgate Entertainment Inc., Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., and FOX Filmed Entertainment. Since their first movie DreamWorks Studios has earned over $11 billion in worldwide box office sales [3]. Popular DreamWorks films include The Help, Transformers, and Dreamgirls.

Finances and Rocky Relationship with Disney

In August of 2016, the DreamWorks distribution deal with Disney will expire after it’s six-year run and the renewal of the pact has been said to discontinue after DreamWorks’s inability to deliver the six-live action films per year as promised to Disney distributors [4]. With the exception of hit films like The Help, released in 2011, that grossed $169 million domestically and an additional $46 million internationally, the DreamWorks studio has struggled to perform as successfully in the box office as they planned when originally partnering with Disney for financial support in 2009 [5]. However, DreamWorks Studios will be looking forward to closing a deal to partner with Participant Media, where they hope to receive a large cash infusion. For the past four consecutive years now, Dreamworks Studios has had a reported loss of at least $100 million caused by their failure to produce a continuous stream of hit films and the company’s subsequent cash flow issues [6]. After a quickly failed three-year partnership with Paramount, and Reliance Entertainment being unlikely to invest anymore than the primary bankroll they have been providing for DreamWorks, the financial standing of the studio has not been so secure. Jeff Skoll’s Participant Media is said to become a long-term and heavy investor for DreamWorks bringing in approximately $200 million or more to the company in their crucial time of need [7]. DreamWorks Studios is a private company, therefore specific financial quarterly earnings and revenue have not been reported.

Chart revealing DreamWorks Scarce Success in Film Sales while Partnering with Disney Source: Box Office Mojo [3]

The final two films released through the Disney distributor deal are Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks, in theaters October 16, 2015 and Big Friendly Giant, set to release July 2, 2016 – both films directed by Steven Spielberg himself [8]. The Bridge of Spies movie doing well in the box office with $95 million worldwide ticket sales since its release, is about an American lawyer who is recruited to defend a Soviet spy during the cold war [3]. The movie has a targeted audience of respectively older female and male viewers that would enjoy a multiplex, art house realm of storytelling. See trailer below [4].

DreamWorks studios was set to work on the 2015 Spotlight film, about the unveiling of a silenced past of rape and molestation done by priests in Boston, a true story that shook the Catholic Church to its core. Participant Media was set to co-finance the riveting film alongside DreamWorks Studios with a $15 million budget at hand, but DreamWorks suddenly pulled out of the deal, causing the movie to derail and curving the production plans entirely [9]. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio released no official explanation but the large amount of skepticism on how popular a film of pedophilia would be during its set holiday release, caused the company to second guess how their targeted audiences would react to the harshness of such a film [9].

DreamWorks Pictures is teaming with Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures to create the highly anticipated Ready Player One film. The sci-fi action adventure film will be directed by Spielberg and is set to release December 15, 2017. The film is based on the best selling Ready Player One novel, written by Ernest Cline and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures [10 ]. The film that will be directed by the three-time Academy Award winning director is projected to be a huge holiday success. DreamWorks also plans to allow American Sniper screenwriter, Jason Hall to do his first drama film as a director, titled Thank You for Your Service. The film will be about U.S. soldiers returning to their family lives after the war in Iraq and the PTSD they experience with such a dramatic transitioning.

Spielberg and Katzenberg have also been experiencing complications on whether or not to extend a deal allowing the DreamWorks Studio to continue using the name. The discretionary pact will expire on January 1, 2016, leaving the Studio up in the air about solidifying their company name that has spent its years growing into a globally recognized brand [12]. Although DreamWorks Animation is now completely separate from Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios, the animation studio continues to be a huge economic and social success as their franchise continues to expand. The DreamWorks Studio name and logo is licensed from Katzenberg’s DreamWorks Animation and the two brotherly companies hope to work out the trouble and keep the brand name where it started.

Conclusion

The future of DreamWorks Studios lies within the company’s vision towards creating exciting, new, diverse, and well-developed content that can be both a hit in the box-office and capable of becoming a franchise for the studio. DreamWorks recently gained a new action comedy project, called Ex-Criminals, with actor and comedian T.J. Miller set to star and help write the script about a dysfunctional couple that robs banks together [13]. DreamWorks has also acquired the rights in 2014, for the fastest selling adult novel in history, Paula Hawkin’s The Girl on the Train, where the studio plans to create a film adapted version of the international best selling thriller – set to release in the U.S. on October 7 of 2016 [13]. In addition, DreamWorks SKG recently bought John Connolly’s trilogy of popular novels for middle school readers, with plans to turn the series into a possible franchise. Unlike many older film studios, DreamWorks does not have a large array of material to already choose from and must stay on their feet in terms of constantly creating new and profitable content, but the company plans on meeting the goal.

Sources

[1] “| Company Profile from Hoover’s.” DW STUDIOS L.L.C. N.p., Mar. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

[2] “Our History | DreamWorks Studios.” DreamWorksStudios.com. N.p., Mar. 2012. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/about/history>.

[3] Box Office History for DreamWorks Pictures Movies.” DreamWorks Pictures Production Company Box Office History. Nash Information Services LLC, Nov. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/production-company/DreamWorks-Pictures>.

[4] Thompson, Anne. “What Spielberg Really Wants.” IndieWire. N.p., 2 Sept. 2015. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. <http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/what-spielberg-really-wants-20150902>.

[5]”The Help (2011) – Box Office Mojo.” Box Office Mojo. N.p., Mar. 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=help2011.htm>.

[6] McClintock, Pamela. “DreamWorks Nears Rich Financing Deal With Participant Media (Exclusive).” The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., 4 Apr. 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-nears-rich-financing-deal-791334>.

[7]Fritz, Ben. “DreamWorks Studio Needs a New Script.” Wall Street Journal. N.p., 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 02 Dec. 2015. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303546204579435464122525596>

[8] Donnelly, Matt. “Disney Expected to Drop Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks.” The Wrap. N.p., 2 Sept. 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <https://www.thewrap.com/disney-to-drop-steven-spielbergs-dreamworks/>

[9] Rich, Joshua. “How DreamWorks Nearly Derailed ‘Spotlight’: “No One Wants to Watch a Priest Molesting a Kid”” The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., 6 Nov. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/how-dreamworks-derailed-spotlight-no-836366>.

[10] “Ready Player One,” From Director Steven Spielberg, Will Be Ready for Audiences in the 2017 Holiday Window | DreamWorks Studios.” DreamWorksStudios.com. 6 August 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/news/ready-player-one-from-director-steven-spielberg-will-be-ready-for-audiences-in-the-2017-holiday>.

[11] Grant, Charles. “Bridge of Spies Beats Black Mass and Carol in Prestige Week at UK Box Office.” Theguardian.com. N.p., 1 Dec. 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/dec/01/uk-box-office-bridge-of-spies-black-mass-carol-good-dinosaur>.

[12] McClintock, Pamela. “Will Steven Spielberg Drop the DreamWorks Name?” The Hollywood Reporter. N.p., 24 Sept. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. <http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/will-steven-spielberg-drop-dreamworks-826201>.

[13]]Kit, Borys. “DreamWorks Picks Up T.J. Miller’s Action Comedy ‘Ex-Criminals’ | DreamWorks Studios.” DreamWorksStudios.com. N.p., 18 Nov. 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/news/dreamworks-picks-up-tj-millers-action-comedy-ex-criminals>.

[13] Madatian, Jasmine. “Principal Photography Begins for New York Times Best Seller ‘The Girl on the Train’.” Business Wire. N.p., 11 Nov. 201. Web. 30 Nov. 2015 <http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151111005526/en/Principal-Photography-Begins-York-Times-Seller-%E2%80%98The >..

Photo and Video Sources

[1] “| DreamWorks Executives.” DreamWorks SKG Studios. DreamWorks Animation LLC, 2010. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. <http://dreamworksstudios.com/about/executives/>.

[2] BIO.com. “Mini BIO – Steven Spielberg.” YouTube. YouTube, 6 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8MJJIGOfas&feature=youtu.be>

[3] Donnelly, Matt. “Disney Expected to Drop Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks.” The Wrap. N.p., 2 Sept. 2015. Web. 1 Dec. 2015. <https://www.thewrap.com/disney-to-drop-steven-spielbergs-dreamworks/>.

[4] Fandango MOVIECLIPS. “Bridge of Spies Official Trailer #2 (2015) – Tom Hanks Cold War Thriller HD.” YouTube. YouTube, 16 Sept. 2015. Web. 28 Nov. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxUk1RsajcI&feature=youtu.be>.

DreamWorks Animation

Posted on October 5, 2014 by depark02

by Devon Parker

[1] The Dreamworks Animation Company Logo

History

Dreamworks SKG is a motion picture company that was originally founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. However it was not until the fall of 2004 that Dreamworks Animation SKG got its start as a publicly traded company. Katzenberg then moved to become the Chief Executive Officer of Dreamworks Animation. It is now considered a separate company than Dreamworks SKG, producing exclusively high-end animated feature films [2].

Key Executives

[3] Jeffrey Katzenberg: CEO. Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks Animation

[4] Ann Daly: President. Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks animation

[5] Lew Coleman: CFO & Vice Chairmen. Photo Courtesy of Dreamworks Animation

Financials

As the third quarter financial results were finalized and publicly shared at the end of October the company acknowledged their successes. The company reported total revenue for the quarter of $180.9 million, which in comparison to the 2013 third quarter report of $154.5 million was a big accomplishment. “The third quarter of 2014 was strong for DreamWorks Animation, with both quarterly revenue and earnings per share up 17% in a year-over-year comparison,” shared Katzenberg. The CEO attributed this success to the overwhelming success that How to Train Your Dragon 2 brought the company. At the worldwide box office How to Train your Dragon 2 earned over $615 million at the worldwide box office making it the highest-grossing film of 2014. The 2014 fourth quarter results when finalized are expected to be determined by the most recent release of Penguins of Madagascar, which premiered in theaters on November 26, 2014, and the at home release of How to Train your Dragon 2 [6].

In Theaters

[7] Courtesy of Dreamworks Animation

Dreamworks Animation’s most recent and only release over the past three months was this past Wednesday, November 26th. Penguins of Madagascar, a spin off of the Madagascar franchise that released in 2005. The group of witty penguins, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong, John Malkovich, and Peter Stormare are on a spy mission in which they must join forces in order to prevent an evil villain from taking over the world [7]. The goal of this animation feature was to draw in the past fans of the franchise as well as attract the family holiday audience around the Thanksgiving release. The animation feature had an okay opening week finishing off second in the box office behind The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. The weekend Box Office Mojo shows its success over just the holiday weekend grossing $25.6 million. [8]. The box office also shows its success over the course of the first five days, with a domestic gross of $36 million and a foreign gross of $65 million, giving the worldwide total of $98.6 million. Unfortunately the gross income of Penguins of Madagascar’s opening did not compare to that of Madagascar‘s opening three day weekend of $60 million, therefore falling short of Dreamworks Animation’s ultimate expectations [9].

Recent Success

[10] How to Train Your Dragon 2 Trailer

How to Train Your Dragon 2 made its last surge in theaters both domestically and globally over Labor Day weekend of 2014. Hiccup, voiced by Jay Baruchel and Toothless’ journey continues. In their adventure to an ice cave that leads to their discovery of new wild dragons the two find themselves trying to keep the peace [11]. It officially crossed the $600,000,000 million mark, “A record-breaking opening in China coupled with phenomenal success in territories around the world have catapulted Dragon 2 to become the highest grossing animated film of the year and one of the top ten grossing films of the year in any genre.” On top of the first two movies success Dreamworks Animation publicly announced that there will a third How to Train Your Dragon 3 to be released in June of 2017. The film will have the same writer, director and producer Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold. As well as some of the same cast, including Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera as Astrid and Cate Blanchett as Valka. [12]

The How to Train Your Dragon franchise has contributed tremendously to the success of the company in the past few years. How to Train Your Dragon 2, single handedly contributed to the majority of success for Dreamworks Animation’s financial third quarter of 2014. “Films generated sales of $142.4 million and segment gross profit of $64.3 million to the third quarter, with “How to Train Your Dragon 2″ contributing $74.2 million in revenue as it continues to play worldwide. [13]” As the year comes to an end Dreamworks Animation can still expect financial benefits from the DVD release around the holidays.

Upcoming Releases

[14] Courtesy of News.Mic

Dreamworks Animation Studios will be releasing a new animation feature currently set for March 27, 2015. A story about an alien race Boov, that invades Earth, while relocating the humans one very “resourceful” girl by the name of Tip teams up with a Boov alien. The two take on the adventure of intergalactic battle and learning what’s really at stake. Tip will be voiced by Rihanna, while her new alien acquaintance Oh will be voiced by Jim Parsons and the leader of Boov, Captain Smek will be voiced by Steve Martin [15].

The anticipated feature film is one different from any other. Tip, the heroine of Home, marks one of the first black female 3D animated character that any Hollywood studio has ever had. [16] The film was originally to be released during the Thanksgiving holiday slot however it was strategically switched with the release of Penguins of Madagascar. It was thought by the management of Dreamworks Animation that the Madagascar franchise would fare better during the holiday competition while Home would be more successful on its own. “We will continue to be as flexible as necessary when it comes to our release dates,” said Dawn Taubin, chief marketing officer at DreamWorks Animation also adding, “We’re confident that this date switch gives both of our upcoming releases the largest opportunity for success…” [17].

[18] Home trailer

Additions to Netflix

Dreamworks Animation new Netflix series All Hail King Julien will premiere five twenty-two minute episodes on December 19, 2014. The story line takes place before Madagascar however still star the well known cast of Julien, Mort and Maurice, voiced by Danny Jacobs, Andy Ritcher, and Kevin Richardson as well as a new line up characters. All Hail King Julien will have the lemurs taking on the adventures of Madagascar in a very comedic way drawing in a wide viewer audience [19].

[20] Courtesy of Dreamworks Animation

The new show joins Dreamworks Turbo FAST, as the studios television line up continues to grow. It is their hope the by the end of 2016 there will be another 10 new animated series on Netflix. Margie Cohn, the head of television for DreamWorks Animation explains that “All Hail King Julien is really a showcase for our talented artists to bring the Netflix audience the great storytelling, compelling characters and fantastic design that is the hallmark of DreamWorks Animation.” [21]

Sources

[1] Dreamworks Animation Logo, auocoms.com/dreamworks-animation-logo, RT: 11/15/14

[2] “Our History”, www.dreamworksstudios.com, RT: 11/15/14

[3] Jeffrey Katzenberg, www.dreamworksanimation.com, RT: 11/12/14

[4] Ann Daly, www.dreamworksanimation.com RT: 11/12/14

[5] Lew Coleman, www.forbes.com, RT: 11/12/14

[6] Dreamworks Finance, ir.dreamworksanimation.com/investor-relations/financial-information/default.aspx, RT: 11/30/14

[7] Penguins of Madagascar, www.dreamworksanimation.com, RT: 11/15/14

[8] Boxoffice Weekend Results, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/1/14

[9] Boxoffice Mojo Weekend Report, boxofficemojo.com, RT: 12/1/14

[10] How to Train Your Dragon 2 Trailer, youtube.com, RT: 11/15/14

[11] How to Train Your Dragon 2 Summary, IMDB.com, RT: 11/18/14

[12] “How to Train Your Dragon 2 Crosses $600,000,000″, PRNewswire.com, RT: 9/17/14

[13] “‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Lifts Dreamworks Animation Earning”, Variety.com, RT: 11/20/14

[14] Home Picture, News.mic.com, RT: 11/29/14

[15] Home Summary, IMDB.com, RT: 11/29/14

[16] “Dreamworks Latest Movie…”, News.mic.com, RT: 11/29/14

[17] “‘Home,’ ‘Penguins of Madagascar’ Swap Release Dates, Variety.com, RT: 11/28/14

[18] Home Trailer, Youtube.com, RT: 11/29/14

[19] “All Hail King Julien”, IMDB.com, 11/30/14

[20] “‘All Hail King Julien’ picture”, madagascar.dreamworks.com, RT: 11/30/14

[21] “The Wildest Party Ever Hits the Jungle when the Netflix Original Series ‘All Hail King Julien’ Debuts Dec. 19″, dreamworksanimation.com, RT: 11/30/14

DreamWorks Studios

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Jung Sir

By Kevin Sir

Courtesy of wholemovieinfo.com [a]

DreamWorks Studios
100 Universal City Plaza Dr., Bldg. 5121
Universal City, CA 91608
P: (818) 733-9300
http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/

Key Executives

Steven Spielberg (Principal Partner) [b]

Stacey Snider (Principal Partner / Co-Chairman / CEO) [c]

Jeff Small (President / Chief Operating Officer) [d]

Holly Bario (President of Production) [e]

Company Overview

In 2007, DreamWorks introduced Stacey Snider, who was a former Chairman of Universal Studios, as the current Co-Chair and CEO of DreamWorks. In 2008, a $1.5 billion dollar deal was made with an Indian investment firm, Reliance ADA Group enabling DreamWorks’ films to be distributed and promoted by The Walt Disney Studios. [1] [2]

Brief History

Formerly identified as DW II Distribution Company, LLC, DreamWorks Studios is now known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks Pictures, and/or DreamWorks. The emergence of DreamWorks took place on October 12, 1994 when Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen decided to establish Hollywood a new studio. The “SKG” appearing on the bottom of the logo for both DreamWorks and DreamWorks Animation (DWA) was created based off of these founders’ last names. In 2004, DWA separated from DreamWorks to form two companies. The license for the “DreamWorks” name and logo are licensed through DWA. Viacom, who was the parent company of Paramount Pictures on December 11, 2005, bought DreamWorks, however in 2008, DreamWorks gained back its independence. [1] [2]

Financials

MV5BMTQ3ODY4NzYzOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjI3OTE4MDE@._V1_SX214_AL_

Need For Speed Poster,
Courtesy of IMDb [f]

Contrary to DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks Studio’s financials are unattainable since the company still remains as a privately held company. However, monumental financial information about DreamWorks can be attained through deeper research. As mentioned in the Company Overview, the agreements made with both Viacom and Reliance ADA Group add up to be about $3 billion dollars and this has saved DreamWorks’ debt from the previous years’ loss. Also, the information and performance from past films can roughly estimate how the company is doing in terms of revenue. DreamWorks’ most recent film, “Need For Speed” released in March 14, 2014 has successfully made profit overall. To look at it closely, the domestic gross profit for “Need For Speed,” which is roughly $42 million dollars did not even nearly meet its production budget of $66 million dollars. However, the film was a success internationally considering it made $143 million dollars. “Need For Speed” was successful in making a total of $120 million dollars, and indeed, it was a much needed profit due to DreamWorks’ failure to make profit with its past films.

need-for-speed-trailer-starring-aaron-paul-looks-like-the-sixth-season-of-breaking-bad

Aaron Paul pictured, Courtesy of Business Insider [g]

There are several reasons for the success of “Need For Speed.” First, it was originally a very popular game that debuted back in 1994, which could have drawn the video gamer audience. Also, the film starred Aaron Paul, who plays Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad won 10 Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, and the show’s buzz has turned Jesse Pinkman into a household name. For these reasons, this enabled the film to draw in a wider audience.

Need for Speed debuted in 1994, and over the course of the next two decades, the game would evolve under several studios such as Black Box and Criterion Games. The series has been a critical and commercial hit with gamers. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Right Here, Right Now

After researching and looking at the patterns, the DreamWorks Studio has dramatically decreased the amount of movie being released since the year 2012. In fact, in 2012 and 2013, only two movies were released each year, and following its pattern, DreamWorks is planning on releasing only two movies in 2014 as well. [7]

The Prey Poster,
Courtesy of IMDb [h]

On January 15^th, 2014, after attaining the rights from Brio Films, Studio Canal and Cohen Media Group, DreamWorks Studios plans to remake a French film called “La Proie” from 2011; the remake will be called “The Prey” Originally directed by Eric Valette, La Proie has an attention grabbing plot which centers around a crook who needs to escape out of jail to save his family from his former cellmate and confidante who is a serial killer. With its remake, the film has an advantage of potentially attracting French people who has already seen the movie and want to watch an American remake version. In addition, the international gross profit could even exceed the domestic’s. [8]

Pictured Producer Marc Platt (“The Girl on the Train”)
Courtesy of Variety [i]

On March 24, 2014, DreamWorks Studios obtained the rights from Paula Hawkins, the author of “The Girl on the Train” for Marc Platt to produce as a R-rated movie. The novel centers around a young woman who gets involved in a murder investigation as a witness. From this news, DreamWorks Studios is on a path of producing mainly thrillers in its upcoming years. [9]

“Eleanor & Park” Courtesy of p.gr-assets.com [j]

On April 2, 2014, DreamWorks Studios attained the rights from Rainbow Rowell to make her novel, “Eleanor & Park,” into a movie. The movie takes a place in year 1986 in high school in Omaha with two 16 year olds: Eleanor, an insecure girl, and Park, a half-Korean boy who attempt to find themselves. [10]

“Made In Sweden” Courtesy of cdn-s3.thewrap.com [k]

On April 7, 2014, DreamWorks Studios announced that Mark Sourian will produce a crime thriller from the Swedish novel called “Made in Sweden” by Anders Roslund and Stefan Thunberg. Along with the authors, Niclas Salomonsson will executive produce.The novel is about a bank robbery from Sweden’s history and a story about a band of brothers who were involved in it. The audience should be prepared for the upcoming works of DreamWorks Studios that are filled heavily with small budgeted chilling thriller movies. [11]

Coming Up

Manish Dayal Pictured, Courtesy of http://i1.cdnds.net/ [l]

DreamWorks will be releasing a new film on August 8th, 2014 called “The Hundred-Foot Journey.” Due to the fact that this movie is still in the early development stages, a trailer is not available yet. “The Hundred-Foot Journey” centers around an Indian family who moves to France, and then opens up a restaurant across the street from a Michelin-starred French restaurant. Hassan Kadam, who is played by Manish Dayal, is a phenomenal culinary cook and after being displaced from their native India, the Kadam family moves to a village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val located in the south of France. After opening up an Indian restaurant called the ‘Maison Mumbai,’ Madame Mallory, who is played by Helen Mirren, decides to protest against the new Indian restaurant. The rivalry between the restaurants come to an end as Madame Mallory admits and recognizes Hassan’s gift as a chef and takes him under her wing.

MV5BNzI1Mjg5MjAyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjc2NDA0MDE@._V1_SY317_CR131,0,214,317_AL_

Oprah (Left)
Helen Mirren (Right)
Courtesy of IMDb [m]

DreamWorks is focused on improving profits due to its loss from the past few years. The budget for their upcoming movie “The Hundred-Foot Journey” is approximately $25 million dollars. Of course, this budget is by no means small; however, as compared to DreamWorks’ film previous budgets in the past, it is evident to acknowledge that DreamWorks is cutting budgets and focusing more on making a profit. Also, what is interesting about “The Hundred-Foot Journey” is that Oprah Winfrey is one of the producers. It is quite safe to conclude that having Oprah as a producer is one of the strategies that DreamWorks plans on employing in hopes of attracting wider audiences. Indeed, the “Oprah Effect.” In hopes of making a profit with DreamWorks’ new small budget strategy, this is a clever and strategic approach because Oprah can “suddenly turn a small, unprofitable business into a multimillion-dollar company.” In this case, hopefully these types of results are seen with this movie. [12] [13]