Wish List Item: Dreamworks Fighting Game

Raise your hand if you didn't love Street Fighter II? If you raised your hand, smack yourself in the face and leave! It was a great game. Of course, the mark of any great game is the number of spin-offs and copycats it generates and Street Fighter II is no exception. Bascially this game is responsible for the 'Fighting Game' category of games as it currently exists. Some of the copycats were great... the X-Men fightig game, the Capcom fighting game, the X-Men Vs. Capcom fighting game, etc.

Now, raise your hand if you didn't love Shrek Supersmash? In case you were wondering, my hand is raised. The game itself was weak with awkward camera angles, difficult controls, and sloppy design. However, the concept was GREAT! Basically, this game pitted characters from the 'Shrek Universe' against one another in the Street Fighter II spirit.

What I want is to take this concept one step farther. Dreamworks Animation has assembled a great set of characters in its recent movies. Imagine for a minute if they would pull those characters together and pit them against one another in a simple fighting game format. Imagine the fun of Shrek vs. Tai Lung OR Po vs. B.O.B. OR Gallaxhar vs. Puss-In-Boots! The list could go on for days!

So, if any of the execs at Dreamworks are listening...make a fighting game that incorporates all of your characters and you could have a best-seller on your hands. I won't even ask for a cut of the profits. The joy of playing this game will be its own reward!

'Monsters' Pilot Ordered

Nickelodeon has reportedly ordered a pilot for a 'Monsters Vs. Aliens' show! This series could join 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Madagascar' as recent Dreamworks films make their way to the small screen. There are still no details on the proposed 'Monsters' series with regard to voice talent, animation style, etc. As they say in TV world...stay tuned!

$1/Year To Create Films Like 'Monsters'?

Jeffrey Katzenberg has been the CEO of Dreamworks Animation through such films as 'Shrek 3', 'Kung Fu Panda', and 'Monsters vs Aliens' and just renewed his contract through 2013. The nature of his contract, however, is very interesting. Katzenberg will be paid $1/year with additional incentives tied to the company's continued financial success.

With 'Shrek 4', 'Kung Fu Panda 2', and 'How to Train Your Dragon' on the horizon, those additional incentives could really pay off! Congrats to Mr. Katzenberg for a job well done and all the best for your continued success!

Dreamworks Earnings Depend on 'Monsters'

Forbes posted an article about Dreamworks' 1st Q earnings, which were good. The interesting thing is that Dreamworks relies on one or two releases per year (with 'Monsters vs. Aliens' as the companies sole 2009 release) plus DVD sales.

With DVD sales slipping in the rough economy and Blu-Ray failing to bridge the gap, should Dreamworks up production a bit? Lets get 'Monsters vs. Aliens 2' cooking!

Weekend Box Office Report

For those of you keeping score at home, 'Monsters' raked in another $8.5 million this past weekend, enough to place it at number six in the box office rankings. To date, the Dreamworks film has grossed $174.8 million domestically!

'Monsters' Earnings Piling Up!

It was a good weekend for 'Monsters Vs. Aliens'...again! The two big releases for the weekend beginning April 17th ('17 Again' & 'State of Play') took the top two spots, but 'Monsters' took the number three box office spot. In doing so, the Dreamworks release beat out both 'Hannah Montana' and 'Fast & Furious', both of which are in their second weekends.

The win over 'Hannah Montana' is particularly impressive when you consider this is another kid-friendly pic (released by Disney no less).

The total U.S. earnings for 'Monsters' is now $162.7 million!

Very impressive stuff! Link here.

'Monsters' Set To Be A Hit In India

With the hit Dreamworks film set to open in India today, the Indian papers are alight with positive reviews. This film could be a real hit overseas, which is sure to make fans and investors happy. With big revenue comes the inevitable question...will there be a sequel?

To me, 'Monsters' doesn't lend itself to a sequel quite like 'Madagascar' or 'Shrek', but that doesn't mean they won't make one. Fans should keep an eye on the worldwide box office success and stay tuned for any updates!

One of the aforementioned reviews from an Indian paper is here.