Tag Archives: dwa

Could Hasbro-DreamWorks deal beget Hungry Hungry Hippos movie?

After turning its G.I. Joe and Transformers toys into major motion pictures, Hasbro now is looking to increase its presence in Hollywood. Hasbro reportedly is in talks to acquire DreamWorks Animation (DWA), the studio behind the Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar movies. The talks are preliminary and may not result in a deal, according to media reports. But comedians have been poking fun at possible Hasbro (HAS) toy movies since the company flopped in 2012 with “Battleship,” based on its classic board game. Another Hasbro board game, Ouija, was turned into a horror movie and released just last month. Hasbro has a lot more toy brands to play with, including Littlest Pet Shop, Monopoly, Candy Land, Mr. Potato Head, My Little Pony, Nerf, Play-Doh, Lite-Brite, Pound Puppies, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and Tonka trucks, to name just a few. “Jimmy Kimmel Live” made a parody movie trailer about Hasbro’s Hungry…

DreamWorks Animation gets fleas from ‘Peabody’ dog

Just a few years ago, DreamWorks Animation (DWA) was a clear No. 2 animated movie studio behind Walt Disney’s (DIS) Pixar. Now after a string of box-office disappointments, it might not even rank fourth in the market. DreamWorks released its latest animated feature, “Mr. Peabody & Sherman,” on Friday to generally favorable reviews, but disappointing ticket sales. Cowen and Company analyst Doug Creutz on Monday lowered his estimates for the film and the company’s upcoming slate of films in a report titled, “‘Peabody’ Turns Out to Be Just Another Dog.” “‘Mr. Peabody and Sherman’ is off to a disappointing start,” Creutz said. “We are lowering our estimates for that film, but also for all future DWA original films, based on fact that the company has been piling up an increasingly alarming film body count over the past few years.” Creutz slashed his price target on DreamWorks to 21 from …