HOW DREAM WORKS LOST (WALL) STREET CRED

摘要

The critics weren't wowed by Madagascar. But the DreamWorks Animation blockbuster about a bunch of animal escapees is plenty popular, passing the $100 million milestone at the box office in nine days. So how come the studio's stock price has slid 27% in the last month, to around $28—its lowest since going public back in October? If s a question currently exercising DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. founders Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, and Steven Spielberg. The answer, according to most analysts, is that's what you get when you use a Hollywood sales job to impress investors. Disappointing the critics is one thing, underwhelming the Street another. Madagascar is a case in point. It opened at a respectable $61 million, but investors were expecting a $70 million-to-$80 million first-day take thanks to DreamWorks Animation's enthusiastic previews.