Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s release of the animated Curious George feature outperformed industry projections for its first week at retail, selling approximately 1.75 million units since its debut on Sept. 26. Tacked onto the $69 million the film made at the worldwide box office, home video revenues should drive the pic’s earnings well past the $100 million mark, which is not too shabby for a 2D toon made for a relatively modest $50 million.
Based on the works of authors H.A. Rey and Margret Rey, Curious George has the inquisitive chimp meet up with yellow hatted museum guide Ted (Will Ferrell) during an African jungle expedition. George (Frank Welker) then stows away on Ted’s boat and returns with him to the city, where his curiosity leads to all kinds of trouble. Eventually, Ted and George work together to save the museum and win the heart of an elementary school teacher (Drew Barrymore). Produced by Ron Howard and Imagine Ent., the pic also features the voice talents of Eugene Levy, Dick Van Dyke, Joan Plowright and David Cross.
The strong DVD debut bodes well for the various media and merchandising initiatives surrounding the re-launch of the Curious George property. Imagine Ent.’s new animated Curious George television series premiered to critical success last month on PBS, and NAMCO recently released a Curious George video game for Playstation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance and Game Cube. In addition, more than 100 licensees and promotional partners across the globe have signed on to back a full line of children’s merchandise including apparel, accessories, toys, interactive games and publishing.
The success of the Curious George movie has also carried over to the music scene. The film’s soundtrack, featuring songs by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and has sold two million units to date worldwide.
Bonus features on the DVD will include a featurette on the film’s animation, deleted scenes, a music video with sing-a-long for Jack Johnson’s “Upside Down,” a tutorial on how to draw George and more than 10 minutes of interactive games and activities including a word game and downloadable coloring sheets. More info on the movie can be found at www.curiousgeorgemovie.com.
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