Zootopia earns 73 million, sets record for the best original Disneytoon; Disney XD readies Billy Dilley’s Subterrean Summer and Country Club for spring sweeps; Nick renews Pig Goat Banana Cricket and Harvey Beaks for season 2, Spongebob goes for season 11, Legends of the Hidden Temple and Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie picked up as Nick originals

It’s a jungle out there! I’m Realistic Fish Head. After a quick head start in the last few weeks, Disney’s Zootopia roars into the box office after Deadpool forcibly stayed in the #1 spot packing up to 600 million. The studio broke through the animation drought once again as it set the 4th March record with 73 million. The movie itself also set a milestone as well. Has the mouse achieved another feat Gene?

 

Gene:

 

Disney’s Zootopia was off to a terrific start this weekend with an estimated debut of $73.7 million. The critically acclaimed 3D computer animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios registered the fourth largest opening weekend ever in the month of March (behind only 2012’s The Hunger Games, 2010’s Alice in Wonderland and 2013’s Oz: The Great and Powerful). Zootopia represents another very strong performer for Walt Disney Animation Studios and topped the $67.39 million opening weekend of 2013’s Frozen to generate the largest opening weekend ever for the animation studio (though it should be noted that the opening weekend performance of Frozen was deflated from opening on a Wednesday). Compared to the most recent film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Zootopia opened an impressive 31 percent ahead of the $56.22 million start of 2014’s Big Hero 6. A strong marketing campaign, having the current family marketplace largely to itself and exceptional critical reviews all contributed to the strong start for Zootopia this weekend.

Zootopia opened with $19.47 million on Friday (which included an estimated $1.7 million on Thursday evening), increased 63 percent on Saturday to take in $31.76 million and is estimated to decrease 29 percent on Sunday to gross $22.48 million. That places the film’s estimated opening weekend to Friday ratio at 3.79 to 1. Zootopia had clear four-quadrant appeal this weekend, as the film’s audience skewed towards female moviegoers (53 percent) and towards moviegoers 25 years and younger (54 percent). Family audiences represented 73 percent of the film’s overall audience. Early word of mouth looks to be especially strong for Zootopia, as the film received an A rating on CinemaScore and currently boasts a 95 percent Flixster audience score. Given its strong word of mouth and the relative lack of competition for family audiences it will continue to face throughout March, Zootopia is very likely to hold up well going forward.

Zootopia took in an estimated $5.2 million from IMAX locations this weekend. That represented the second largest IMAX debut ever for an animated film (behind only 2010’s Toy Story 3) and 7.1 percent of the film’s overall gross this weekend.

London Has Fallen debuted in a distant second place with an estimated $21.71 million. The action thriller sequel from Focus and Gramercy opened in line with pre-release expectations. London Has Fallen did debut 28.5 percent below the $30.37 million start of 2013’s Olympus Had Fallen, but had been widely expected to debut below its predecessor. Instead, the film opened closer to the $24.85 million debut of 2013’s White House Down. London Has Fallen was likely helped out a bit this weekend by the ongoing poor performances of both Lionsgate’s Gods of Egypt and Open Road’s Triple 9.

London Has Fallen started with $7.59 million on Friday (which included an estimated $850,000 from Thursday evening shows), was up 13 percent on Saturday to gross $8.56 million and is estimated to decline 35 percent on Sunday to gross $5.57 million. That gives London Has Fallen an estimated opening weekend to Friday ratio of 2.86 to 1. The audience breakdown for London Has Fallen skewed towards male moviegoers (60 percent) and heavily towards moviegoers 25 years and older (76 percent). London Has Fallen received a healthy A- rating on CinemaScore and has a current Flixster audience score of 63 percent, which suggest that the film is going over better with moviegoers than it has with critics.

After leading the weekend box office for each of the past three frames, Fox’s Deadpool fell to third place this weekend with an estimated $16.4 million. In the process, the Ryan Reynolds led blockbuster antihero film surpassed the $300 million domestic mark this weekend, which made it the first X-Men universe film ever to do so (without adjusting for ticket price inflation). Deadpool decreased a sizable 47 percent from last weekend’s performance, as the film took a hit from the added presence of both Zootopia and London Has Fallen in the marketplace. The 24-day total for Deadpool stands at a massive $311.16 million. That is an extremely impressive 51 percent stronger than the $206.26 million 24-day take of 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Paramount’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrot debuted in fourth place with an estimated $7.60 million. The R-rated comedy starring Tina Fey opened below expectations and registered one of the lower debuts of a wide release staring Fey to date. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot opened 34 percent below the $11.56 million start of 2014’s This is Where I Leave You and opened just 24 percent above the $6.15 million debut of 2013’s Admission. At the end of the day, being a war comedy made Whiskey Tango Foxtrot a much tougher sell than most of Fey’s previous films.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot opened with $2.43 million on Friday, increased a sizable 32 percent on Saturday to take in $3.20 million and is estimated to fall 39 percent on Sunday to gross $1.97 million. That gives Whiskey Tango Foxtrot an estimated opening weekend to Friday ratio of 3.13 to 1. The film skewed towards female moviegoers (56 percent) and heavily towards moviegoers over the age of 25 (89 percent). Whiskey Tango Foxtrot received a modest B rating on CinemaScore and has a current Flixster audience score of 64 percent. With word of mouth appearing to be mixed, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is unlikely to hold up as well as Fey’s films have tended to do in the past.

Meanwhile, Gods of Egypt rounded out the weekend’s top five with an estimated $5.00 million. Lionsgate’s expensive action fantasy film was down a very sharp 65 percent from last weekend’s already soft debut. Gods of Egypt has grossed just $22.85 million in ten days, which is especially disappointing with both the film’s price tag and the action fantasy genre in mind.

 

To recap, Zootopia beats its past flicks’ achievements to take 1st, London Has Fallen attacks in 2nd, Deadpool drops to 3rd after holding on with Kung Fu Panda 3 in the last weeks of February, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot improves their chances in 4th, and Gods of Egypt after having a rough start due to price problems and dampening the action fantasy age, drops to 5th.

 

 

With spring sweeps underway, the animation world is once again delivering the goods thanks in part to last year’s upfront news made by Disney XD. Speaking of, the network last week unveiled two new shows to add to their lineup. Their recent animated hit Gravity Falls ended with mysteries all locked up as the show’s creator made clear on his word dooming Team Dapper. Star vs. The Forces of Evil has been on the bubble since GF ended. Did the show magically earn season 3 Danny?

 

Danny Angelfish (via Animation World)- Disney XD has ordered two original animated series, Billy Dilley’s Super-Duper Subterranean Summer from Emmy Award-winning director Aaron Springer (Disney’s Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts, SpongeBob SquarePants), and Country Club from comic book creators, brothers Chris and Shane Houghton (Harvey Beaks). Both series, slated to launch in 2017 and 2018 respectively, are produced by Disney Television Animation (TVA). The announcement was made by Marc Buhaj, senior vice president, Programming and general manager, Disney XD.

The network has also ordered a season three pickup for Disney TVA’s Annie Award-nominated Star vs. The Forces of Evil from creator Daron Nefcy and a second season of the short-form comedy series Two More Eggs from web animation pioneers The Brothers Chaps (Mike and Matt Chapman).

“Animation is strongly resonating with the Disney XD audience,” commented Buhaj. “And we are dedicated to expanding our roster of world-class creators including Aaron, Chris and Shane. Our audience will be treated to engaging, original comedic storytelling through the unique visions of each of our creators.”

Billy Dilley’s Super-Duper Subterranean Summer is a comedy series that follows eccentric science-obsessed seventh-grader Billy Dilley and his lab partners Zeke and Marsha as their summer break takes an unexpected turn and they find themselves stuck in a bizarre, magical world beneath the earth’s surface. Springer serves as executive producer. The voice cast includes Jessica McKenna (Comedy Bang! Bang!) as Billy, Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Zeke and YouTube star Catie Wayne (Animalist) as Marsha.

Country Club is a comedy adventure series about Cricket Green, a mischievous and optimistic country boy who moves to the big city with his family. Cricket’s curiosity and enthusiasm leads his wildly out of place family on epic journeys and into the hearts of his new neighbors. Emmy Award-winning director Rob Renzetti (Gravity Falls) serves as executive producer and the Houghton brothers serve as co-executive producers.

The Annie Award-nominated Star vs. The Forces of Evil follows fiercely awesome teen princess from another dimension, Star Butterfly (voiced by Eden Sher), as she navigates high school, embarks on dimension-hopping adventures across the multiverse and battles arch-nemesis Ludo (voiced by Alan Tudyk) and his monstrous forces of evil alongside best friend Marco Diaz (voiced by Adam McArthur). Nefcy, a 2009 California Institute of the Arts graduate, is executive producer. Star vs. The Forces of Evil ranked as Disney XD’s #2 animated series in Kids 2-11 and Kids 6-11 for 2015. Star vs. The Forces of Evil: Star and Marco’s Guide to Mastering Every Dimension, a hardcover book created by Nefcy and Disney Press, will be released in 2017.

Two More Eggs is an eclectic series of original cartoon shorts from The Brothers Chaps, creators of the popular web series Homestar Runner. Incorporating a variety of animation techniques indicative of the brothers’ signature style, the series includes flash, computer-generated imagery and animation mixed with live-action. It is produced by The Brothers Chaps’ Citywide Hoop Champs, Inc. in association with Disney Television Animation.

 

There was also news regarding Nick’s newest hits Pig Goat Banana Cricket and Harvey Beaks. Both shows debuted well last fall in the network plan to regain viewership since Fanboy and Chum Chum and Robot and Monster left the network in favor of Nicktoons paving the way for Breadwinners as Sway Sway and Buhdeuce catch up to SpongeBob’s popularity. Did the 3 Nicktoons earn a season Perch?

 

Perch Perkins (via Toonzone)-Nickelodeon, at its annual upfront presentation held today at Alice Tully Hall in New York City’s Lincoln Center, detailed the plans powering its expanding reach and growing footprint as it heads into the season with more than 650 episodes of new and returning series. Through fostering close relationships with its audience, partners and the creative community, Nick has kept its content pipeline full in every genre, on every screen and in every territory–all contributing to owning the top shows year to date for Kids 2-11 and preschoolers; a significant increase in share; and the number-one position year to date with Kids 2-11 and preschoolers, a standing it had for all of 2015, as well.

“We have worked hard to deepen our relationships with our audience, our partners and the creative community to keep our momentum growing, and we remain unwavering in our mission to put kids first and devote every resource to making the world a more playful place,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Viacom Kids and Family Group.

During today’s presentation, Nickelodeon detailed an expanded product offering for its award-winning partner marketing division, Nickelodeon Velocity (formerly Nickelodeon Inside Out Solutions). Nickelodeon Velocity utilizes Nick’s creative leadership and iconic intellectual properties to connect partners to kids and families across the brand’s ecosystem of multi-platform media destinations, an expansive social footprint, consumer products and on-the-ground experiences. Nickelodeon Velocity can now also offer marketers unprecedented access to the Viacom Velocity Product Group, which is powered by an industry-leading suite of data analysis and social amplification tools. Nickelodeon Velocity’s campaigns are designed to put privacy first, are age-appropriate and meet applicable legal requirements.

Also, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton took the stage to detail his new series, All In with Cam Newton, where he works with real kids to help make their dreams come true. Rob Dyrdek made a special appearance to talk about two new series he is producing for Nick: Crashletes, a viral sports clip series hosted by New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski; and Jagger Eaton’s Mega Life (working title), a docu-series that follows the 15-year-old skateboarding phenom as he skates around the world and hangs out with his idols.

Nickelodeon’s upfront presentation was also punctuated with a special appearance from New York Knicks power forward, Carmelo Anthony–who was on hand to tout his new TMNT x Melo collaboration, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-branded capsule collection of boys’ apparel and accessories launching in all Macy’s stores in May. In a surprise finale, top-selling artist Flo Rida closed with a performance of his latest hit single, “My House.”

Following are details of Nickelodeon’s 2016 content pipeline:

PRESCHOOL

Nickelodeon is the number-one network for preschoolers year to date, a position it also held for all of 2015. The net currently owns the top five preschool series on all TV, led by PAW Patrol and Blaze and the Monster Machines. Joining Nick’s preschool lineup are the following new series announced today:

• Rusty Rivets, picked up for 26 episodes, follows the animated adventures of Rusty as he invents his way out of jams by repurposing parts and objects into the wildest, coolest contraptions ever. The series embodies the principles of the maker movement, while exposing preschoolers to concepts found in science, technology and engineering. Rusty Rivets is created and co-produced by Spin Master Entertainment (PAW Patrol), and slated to premiere later this year.
• Sunny Day, picked up for 40 episodes, follows Sunny, the best hairstylist in her town and a natural leader who believes that every problem can be solved with determination and a little creativity. Created and produced by Silvergate Media (Peter Rabbit), Sunny Day features themes that teach preschoolers about community involvement and self-confidence.

Nick will also air new episodes of returning hit preschool series Shimmer and Shine, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Mutt & Stuff, PAW Patrol, Wallykazam! and Dora and Friends: Into the City!

ANIMATION

Nickelodeon, the number-one network for Kids 2-11 year to date, currently owns the top animated series on all TV. Today, the net announced the renewals of animated hit series: SpongeBob SquarePants, for seasons 10 and 11; and the second season pickups of Harvey Beaks and Pig Goat Banana Cricket.

As previously announced, Nickelodeon’s slate of new animated series on deck are:

• The Loud House, picked up for 26 episodes, is the first series to be greenlit out of Nickelodeon’s Animated Shorts Program and is inspired by first-time creator Chris Savino’s (Rocko’s Modern Life, The Powerpuff Girls) chaotic life growing up in a huge household.

 

• Bunsen is a Beast!, picked up for 20 episodes, is an original animated comedy created and executive produced by animation veteran Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents). The series follows the adventures of Bunsen, the first beast to attend a human grade school, and his best friend and classmate Mikey, who guides Bunsen through the ups and downs of life as a human.

 

• Mysticons, picked up for 40 episodes, is a half-hour, action series about four girls who transform into legendary warriors and band together to save their realm from an evil queen, Necrafa. Mysticons is licensed by Nelvana.

 

• Welcome to the Wayne, picked up for 20 episodes, marks Nick’s first digital short-form series to be greenlit for television. The series follows the comedic adventures of two 10-year-old boys exploring the crazy, unpredictable world of their New York City apartment building The Wayne. Welcome to the Wayne is created and written by Emmy Award-winning writer and composer Billy Lopez (The Wonder Pets!, Phineas and Ferb).

 

• Pinky Malinky, picked up for 20 episodes, is a mockumentary series following the everyday life of Pinky Malinky, an infectiously positive hot dog living in a human world. Pinky’s experiences will be shared across social media and Nick’s digital platforms. The series is co-created and co-executive produced by Chris Garbutt and Rikke Asbjoern (The Amazing World of Gumball), and executive produced by Scott Kreamer (Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness).

 

Nick will also air new episodes of returning animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Fairly OddParents and ALVINNN!!! and The Chipmunks.

 

 

LIVE-ACTION

Nickelodeon currently owns the top live-action series with Kids 2-11 on all TV, led by Game Shakers. The net announced today the renewal of the two series from hitmaker Dan Schneider: Henry Danger, for season three; and Game Shakers, for season two. Additionally, Nick has picked up another live-action hit The Thundermans for season four.

Joining Nick’s live-action lineup are the following new series announced today:

• Jagger Eaton’s Mega Life (working title), picked up for 20 episodes, is an action-packed docu-series that follows 15-year-old skateboarder Jagger Eaton as he skates the world and hangs out with his inspiring idols. Jagger Eaton’s Mega Life, executive produced by Rob Dyrdek and Shane Nickerson of Superjacket Productions (Fantasy Factory, Ridiculousness), will begin production this spring.
• New England Patriots Super Bowl XLIX Champion and Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski will host the previously announced Crashletes, a 20-episode viral sports clip series featuring guest personalities from the worlds of sports and entertainment, along with the funniest, craziest clips and user-generated content. The series is executive produced by Rob Dyrdek and Shane Nickerson of Superjacket Productions.

 

• Ride, picked up for 20 episodes, follows the adventures of Katherine “Kit” Bridges who relocates to England with her dad who is joining the faculty at Covington Academy, an elite equestrian boarding school. Shot in Canada and Ireland, Ride will be produced by Canada’s Breakthrough Entertainment and Buccaneer Media in the United Kingdom.

 

• The Other Kingdom, picked up for 20 episodes, follows fairy Princess Astral who takes human form and enters the mortal world for 90 days. The series is created and executive produced by Thomas W. Lynch and produced by DHX Media. Steven DeNure and Anne Loi of DHX Media also serve as executive producers.

 

As previously announced, Nickelodeon’s slate of new live-action series on deck are:

• School of Rock, picked up for 12 episodes and produced with Paramount Television, follows a group of rule-abiding students who learn to take risks and reach new heights thanks to their substitute teacher, a down-on-his-luck musician who uses the language of rock ‘n’ roll to inspire his class to form a secret band. School of Rock is developed by Jim and Steve Armogida (Crash & Bernstein, Grounded for Life), who also serve as executive producers with Jay Kogen (The Simpsons, Henry Danger). The 2003 movie of the same name was written by Mike White. Its director Richard Linklater and producer Scott Rudin serve as series executive producers, along with Eli Bush (The Newsroom, Ex Machina).

 

• All In with Cam Newton (formerly announced as working title I Wanna Be), picked up for 20 episodes and hosted by Carolina Panthers quarterback and 2016 NFL MVP Cam Newton, takes real kids on the ride of their lives to help make their dreams come true. All In with Cam Newton is produced by Magical Elves with Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz and Newton serving as executive producers.

 

• The Dudas (working title, formerly announced as Homeroom), picked up for six episodes, follows brothers Sam and Tyler Duda–polar opposites whose worlds are turned upside down after Sam skips a grade and joins his brother in 7th grade homeroom. The show is created and executive produced by Kevin Jakubowski. Sharla Sumpter Bridgett also serves as an executive producer.

 

• The Ludwigs follows the adventures of five foster children who are on a quest to find out what happened to their foster parents after they mysteriously disappear. Filled with comedy, mystery and adventure, the kids must keep up appearances that everything’s fine at home and fend off the Ludwigs’ greedy and duplicitous heirs. This new project will yield two new series: an English-language, globally commissioned production titled The Ludwigs (20 episodes); and De Ludwigs (20 episodes), a Dutch-language production commissioned by Nickelodeon Netherlands. Both series are produced by Blooming Media and are filmed in Amsterdam.

 

• I Am Frankie (working title), picked up for 20 episodes, follows the comedic and dramatic adventures of teenager Frankie who has a very big secret–she’s actually an experimental android who must hide her true identity or risk being powered down forever. I Am Frankie is produced in partnership with Nickelodeon Latin America and will be shot in the new Viacom International Studios in Miami, Fla.

Nickelodeon will also air new episodes of returning live-action series Bella and the Bulldogs and Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn.

 

 

TV MOVIES, LIVE EVENTS AND SPECIALS

Nickelodeon’s marquee live TV events, movies and specials like Kids’ Choice Awards, Kids’ Choice Sports and HALO Awards rank consistently among the top telecasts among Kids 2-11. All three TV events will return again this season, along with holiday specials including Ho Ho Holiday Special, which delivered almost 3 million total viewers last year. Also, joining Nickelodeon’s lineup are the following new TV movies:

• Lost in the West is a three-part original TV movie that follows two teenage stepbrothers, Chip and Dave, who get transported back in time to 1885 after one of them accidentally invents a time machine. They soon become entangled in a crazy Wild West adventure as they fight off evil outlaws, avoid changing the future and try to make it back to the present. Lost in the West is produced by Galdo Media and directed by Carlos Gonzalez (Big Time Rush).

 

• Albert, Nickelodeon’s first original animated TV movie, is the sweet story of a tiny Douglas fir tree named Albert who loves Christmas more than anyone, but whose miniature size has kept him inside the plant nursery year after year. Joined by his two best friends, a fun-loving palm tree and a rambunctious weed, Albert treks across the country to live his dream of becoming the world’s most famous Christmas tree. Max Lang (The Gruffalo) is set to direct, with Chris Viscardi and Will McRobb (The Adventures of Pete & Pete) executive producing.

 

• Hey Arnold!, a two-part animated TV movie written and executive produced by the series’ original creator Craig Bartlett, will pick up where the original series ended and resolve unanswered questions and plotlines, including Arnold finally getting answers about the whereabouts of his missing parents.

 

• Legends of the Hidden Temple is a new action-adventure movie drawing from the iconic game show’s premise of kids competing to retrieve artifacts from a mysterious Mayan temple. The new TV movie version will follow three siblings who find themselves immersed in a real-life mission that they must complete in order to escape alive. Legends of the Hidden Temple is executive produced by Scott McAboy and Jessica Rhoades, and produced by Amy Sydorick. The TV movie is directed by Joe Menendez (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series) and written by Jonny Umansky & Zach Hyatt, and Alex Reid.

 

Checking the Penguins tally, 1,510 fans sign in as upfront news officially begins which could give Team Skipper the advantage.

 

Clarence, We Bare Bears, and Nexo Knights are new this week. Plus, your last chance to vote is this week as the 2016 Kids Choice Awards drops in this weekend. Alvin and the Chipmunks gets you started, then catch up with a new SpongeBob and after the KCA’s, tune in for the premiere of School of Rock. This is Realistic Fish Head saying, make your votes and voices heard!