Will DreamWorks Animation's New Release Spark a Turnaround?

Source: DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks Animation'sshares got a nice boost after DreamWorks' new movieHomeranked number one in box office ticket sales during its opening weekend startingMarch 27th. During our Easter holiday, my family and I sawHome. I was excited to see the movie, hoping to reinforce my long term bullish view on DreamWorks as well.

Unfortunately, I was unimpressed, and I'm not the only one. Most major critical review sites, such as Rotten Tomatoes and MetaCritic, felt the same way. Is this movie really as good as some investors who boosted the stock think it is?

Why DreamWorks will release only 1 movie this yearI was still bullish on DreamWorks after Jan. 22 when the company announced plans to lay off up to 500 employees and restructure its film business and management. This included selling the DreamWorks headquarters in California, but staying in the space as a renterwhile focusing on bringing property and other costs under control.

DreamWorks released three movies in 2014, but because of this restructuring hasdecided to release just one movie in 2015, and two movies each of the next two years. Focusing on a single movie this year was an opportunity for DreamWorks to produce one, high-performing movie to set the company up for returning to profitability over the next couple of years. I'm not so sure that Homeis that movie.

Home is profitable, but is that enough?

As of 2 weeks after its release, Home has broken $200 million in worldwide box office ticket sales.With a production cost of $135 million, the film's total cost of marketing, distribution, etc. is probably just below $200 million (we'll see actual total cost when quarterly earnings are released). It's encouraging to see that Home is already driving 2015 profits for DreamWorks in such a short time. With a few more weeks in theaters, DVD release, and of course merchandise sales and licences, Home is likely to prove a revenue success for DreamWorks this year.

But what concerns me is that Home has received such poor reviews.Homereceived a weak 46% approval rating on the film critique siteRotten Tomatoes, DreamWorks' lowest ratings from the site in eight years.The website's critical analysis said that "Colorful, silly, and utterly benign, Home is a passable diversion, but there's no shortage of superior animated alternatives." The last time DreamWorks received such a dismal rating was with Bee Movie in 2007. Since then, DreamWorks films have had an average rating of 77% beforeHome. Home's poor review isn't going to get audiences excited for what DreamWorks releases in 2016.

Getting back toprofitabilityOf course, we can't expect one film in 2015 to make up for DreamWorks' $90 million loss in 2014 despite releasing three movies that year. But a highly successful new film that might spark a franchise, like ShrekorHow To Train Your Dragon,would have helped. Nevertheless, it's encouraging that Home has already been profitable for the company just two weeks after opening.

Hopefully, the current restructuring will cut costs and help to ease similar losses going forward, setting DreamWorks up for long term success. But investors who boosted shares of DreamWorks after Home's opening weekend might be a little early in thinking thatHomeis going to have much effect on the company's long term growth.

The article Will DreamWorks Animation's New Release Spark a Turnaround? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Bradley Seth McNew has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends DreamWorks Animation. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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