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DreamWorks Nabs Surprise Globes Win

“How To Train Your Dragon 2” from DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. won the best animated feature film award on Sunday at the Golden Globes. The win is a rare bright spot for the Glendale studio that has watched its share price drop 35 percent over the past year, seen acquisition deals fall apart twice last fall and taken write downs on three films over the last two years. “How to Train Your Dragon 2” was released in June and did about $177 million in domestic box office grosses and $441 million in international receipts, according to Burbank movie reporting service Box Office Mojo. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox. The selection also was a bit of a surprise as many in the Hollywood community expected “The Lego Movie,” a hit from Warner Bros. that grossed $469 million worldwide to be selected. The Golden Globes, presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. It is widely seen as an early indication for a film’s chances the Academy Awards, to be held this year Feb. 22 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. A minimal financial bump is expected for “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” given it was released in June and the DVD hit the market two months ago. Bonnie Arnold, a producer of “Dragon,” was recently named as co-president of feature animation at DreamWorks. The management shakeup came amid disappointing box office results and the write-downs, most recently $57 million on “Mr. Peabody and Sherman,” released in the spring. DreamWorks also has been the subject of much speculation that it was an acquisition target by SoftBank Corp., a Japanese communications and Internet company, and Hasbro Inc., the nation’s second largest toymaker, but neither deal came to fruition. Shares closed up 59 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $23.02 on the Nasdaq.

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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