Earnings Preview: DreamWorks 3Q Seen Down

GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) — DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., whose only 2009 theatrical release, "Monsters vs Aliens," hit retail stores late last month, reports its third-quarter earnings Tuesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the three months through September:

OVERVIEW: The animation house had been releasing two movies a year, but this year it released only one. It said in July it would produce five movies every two years, starting with three next year beginning in March with "How to Train Your Dragon."

Revenue from shipments of "Monsters vs Aliens" on DVD, Blu-ray disc and other video-on-demand platforms was expected to start arriving in the third quarter.

This week, the company also said that in January it would end the Broadway run of "Shrek the Musical," an expensive production that has seen its grosses dwindle since the end of summer. A national tour is to begin in July at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago.

BY THE NUMBERS: Analysts, on average, expect DreamWorks Animation to see revenue shrink 15 percent to $129 million, with earnings down 62 percent to 16 cents per share, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.