DreamWorks Beats 3Q Estimates With 'MvA' On Video

RYAN NAKASHIMA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. shot past analyst estimates in releasing third-quarter earnings Tuesday, saying its only release this year, "Monsters vs. Aliens," is off to a strong start in the home video market.

Analysts have been watching for clues as to how the beleaguered home video market is faring amid the recession. Industrywide, U.S. sales of packaged discs, including DVDs and Blu-ray discs, have fallen nearly 14 percent in the quarter, compared with the year-ago period.

DreamWorks Animation said "Monsters vs. Aliens" contributed $33.4 million in revenue and sold 4.6 million units since its Sept. 29 release on disc. Because it came out near the end of the July-September quarter, only part of the disc sales made it into the results.

The movie was given a sales boost by a 3-D vignette, "B.O.B.'s Big Break in Monster 3D," that sold in a special two-disc pack with sets of cardboard glasses for 3-D viewing at home.

Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg called the premium package, which included "Monsters vs. Aliens" in 2-D, "a big, big success for us" especially in international markets.