Moviegoers talked with their wallets this week and dished out an incredible $104.3 million dollars for Shrek 2. The only other film that had a better opening is Spiderman, with $115 million.
Shrek 2, about Shrek and Fiona meeting Fiona's parents in the land of Far Far Away, became the largest boxoffice opener for an animated film, beating out Finding Nemo.
Here's more tidbits from the AP about Shrek 2's success:
It's a humongous "happily ever after" for "Shrek 2." The computer-animated fairy tale satire collected an estimated $104.3 million at the weekend box office, the second-biggest three-day tally in movie history behind 2002's "Spider-Man," which took in $114.8 million.
"Shrek 2" also scored the biggest opening ever for an animated film, easily topping "Finding Nemo's" $70.2 million. "Shrek," which opened in 2001, earned $42.3 million in its first weekend -- but went on to collect $267.6 million and win the first Oscar for an animated feature film.
For the sequel, the grumpy green ogre collected $28.4 million on Friday, and then jumped a remarkable 58 percent Saturday to earn $44.8 million, according to Jim Tharp, head of distribution for DreamWorks.
Saturday's earnings broke Hollywood's overall record for highest one-day earnings, also held by "Spider-Man" with $43.6 million.
On a personal note, I greatly enjoyed Shrek 2. I loved it as much as the first film. The script is clever and dynamic. The original film succeeded because it consistently surprised me with ingenious lines and plot developments. In this light, Shrek 2 was just as ingenious. Some critics were distracted by the clarity of the digital animation, as if it made people look too real. I too noticed these moments, especially with Prince Charming on screen. But I was not distracted to the point of not thoroughly enjoying myself.
On a whole, the sign of a good sequel is that it's story and plot stand on its own, without relying on the original to supply character or plot development. It succeeds in establishing its own persona. This is Shrek 2.
Of course, these Shrek films would not be what they are if they did not revolve around the notion that beauty is not what one can see but what is in a person's heart. It's about falling in love with someone for who they are and not what you want them or expect them to be. These films make us feel good about who we are and inspire us to treat others a bit better too; at least they do for me.
Kudos to DreamWork's and the creators/makers of Shrek 2 for their success. They deserve it.
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