Katzenberg says "Panda" box office "heartbreaking"

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - After being mired in a stock slump in recent months, DreamWorks Animation announced a stronger than expected second quarter.

Revenues at DreamWorks Animation climbed 38 percent to $218.3 million during the second quarter on the strength of the worldwide box office performance of "Kung Fu Panda 2," the company announced Tuesday.

Profits for the company also increased, rising 42 percent to $34.1 million, or $0.40 per share.

Revenues for the Glendale-based animation studio beat analysts' projections, while profits met their benchmark. A poll of analysts by Thomson Reuters anticipated earnings of 40 cents per share on revenue of $198.2 million.

Shares rose nearly 5 percent in after-hours trading.

"Kung Fu Panda 2," which was released on May 26, 2011, contributed $55.8 million of revenue in the quarter, generated by its worldwide box office performance as well as merchandising and licensing.

The animated sequel's $440 million gross at the international box office was impressive, but on a conference call with investors after the earnings announcement, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg described the film's $160 million take at the domestic box office as "heartbreaking."

Katzenberg said that the studio miscalculated by positioning "Kung Fu Panda 2" as family friendly counter-programing to "Hangover Part 2."

"I think we had a terrible, terrible calamity in the US and it's heartbreaking because there's no recovering from it," Katzenberg said.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/27/industry-us-dreamworks-idUSTRE76Q04A20110727

Sandra Bullock's ex-husband calls off next wedding

The ex-husband of actress Sandra Bullock has called off his wedding to new girlfriend, tattoo artist and reality TV star Kat Von D.

Jesse James, 42, announced his engagement less than a year after being divorced by Bullock, who discovered days after winning her first Oscar in 2010 that her husband had been cheating on her.

James told People magazine on Tuesday that he and Von D, 29, had called off their engagement and split up because of the difficulties in maintaining a long-distance relationship between Texas and Los Angeles.

"The distance between us was just too much," James said.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/26/us-jessejames-idUSTRE76P54F20110726

Amy Winehouse sales spike after her death

Thousands of Amy Winehouse fans went to "Rehab" in the United States for a fresh listen to the British songstress who died late last week, according to figures released on Tuesday.

Record sales tracker Nielsen SoundScan said fans of the soul singer snapped up 50,000 copies of her CDs in the week ended July 24, compared to 44,000 units that were purchased in all other weeks of 2011.

Her 2006 smash hit album, "Back to Black," which includes the song "Rehab," accounted for 37,000 of those units sold in the United States, which was the highest weekly total since March 2008. Winehouse's debut album, 2003's "Frank," chalked up 7,600 unit sales, Nielsen SoundScan said.

Of the totals, more than 95 percent were digital downloads.

"Rehab," in which the singer with the beehive hairdo belted out the famous lyrics, "They tried to make me go to rehab. I said 'no, no no'," was the most downloaded single with 34,000 digital sales in the United States.

Fans purchased a total 111,000 Winehouse digital tracks via downloads, an increase of 2,000 percent over the previous week, Nielsen SoundScan said.

Winehouse died at her London home on July 24, at age 27, so it's likely the sales figures will spike even higher for the week ending Saturday, July 31, because fans were just learning of her death on the final day of the weekly tally.

Throughout much of her career, the singer struggled with drinking and drug problems, but on Tuesday, her father said she had been exercising every day and doing yoga recently.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/27/us-britain-winehouse-sales-idUSTRE76Q08R20110727