Chicken Little Opens at $40M
For those of you who follow studio news, you know how shaky Disney has been this past year. After nearly 70 years of Disney feature animation, the studio leaves behind its old traditions to become the newest latecomer among all-3D animation studios. The news ending Pixar’s partnership with Disney coupled with criticism of Michael Eisner and the announcement of his resignation spark many speculations to the future of Disney. This weekend marked the release of Disney’s first all-3D feature, Chicken Little–the film the defines the future of Disney Feature Animation. For those of you who were holding your breath, you can let out a sigh of relief now.
Despite less-than-stellar reviews, Chicken Little finished first at the box office with a projected $40 million. Although this is nowhere near the vicinity of ~$70 million openings brought in by the Pixar/Disney team, it has outdone industry predicted figures, making it the second-biggest opening in Disney history following the Lion King.