I think we all knew which film would come out on top this past weekend. Sony's (NYSE: SNE) new James Bond adventure, Quantum of Solace, grossed an estimated $70 million at domestic theaters over the last three days according to Boxofficemojo. Excellent showing, Jimbo. As far as I'm concerned, though, I think you have to give the number-two film even more credit.

DreamWorks Animation (NYSE: DWA) and its distributor, Viacom (NYSE: VIA), need to be given major kudos for their work on Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. The first Madagascar took in about $193 million in total at the domestic box office back in 2005. It was released during the summertime. The sequel is definitely going to hit $200 million. This past weekend it took in roughly $36 million, and its total stands at approximately $118 million. With the Thanksgiving holiday still to come, I figure there will be plenty of business for DreamWorks Animation's cartoon.

The wild card here is Disney's (NYSE: DIS) Bolt project. That one will do well, judging by the commercials I've seen so far. How much thunder will it steal from the second Madagascar when it is released this Friday? A lot, I think. Still, I'll keep to my $200 million prediction. I believe there will be enough discretionary dollars left for both cartoons.

Continue reading More than a quantum of success for James Bond and DreamWorks Animation

More than a quantum of success for James Bond and DreamWorks Animation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Five years was too long:

Not since the release of Die Another Day in 2002, have we been blessed with the appearance of a new Bond film. Those of us who have always enjoyed the power and romance of the 007 films have considered this an awful long wait. I can only watch Gold Finger, Moonraker, and Octopussy so many times before I start craving something new. Since the first Bond film release of Dr. No in 1962 there have been some 21 of these action thrillers made, each, I believe, grossing well in excess of $200 million. The most recent Bond release prior to the now pending Casino Royale was Die Another Day, set a 007 record in worldwide gross receipts at nearly $430 million.

The latest Bond adventure is released under the banner of Columbia Pictures / MGM, both of which in fact owe their allegiance to Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE). Columbia pictures is a part of Sony Pictures Entertainment Company and MGM is owned by a consortium which includes: Sony Corporation of America, Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Comcast Corporation, and DLJ Merchant Banking Partners. This working partnership example represents a greatness which can only be called success in motion pictures.

The actual performance of the film is yet to be seen. At the time of this writing, the movie is slated for release on November 17, 2006. I've done some looking around and I've seen some promotions. My initial reaction is that we are in for a special treat. Daniel Craig plays the ever magnificent James Bond in this latest creation, and at the very least I can say that from where I sit that he sure fits the bill. The actual story line for this entry into the 007 legacy is a mystery to me. The production company, EON Productions seems to be keeping that information "classified".

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On stocks and Bond ... James Bond originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Nov 2006 14:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.