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Entertainment Wrap Up: DreamWorks, Warner Bros.

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. is delaying the release of one of three films it had scheduled for next year. The Glendale animation studio has not set a new date for “B.O.O.: Bureau of Other Worldly Operations,” which was originally scheduled for release on June 5. DreamWorks also has on its 2015 slate “Home,” an original movie coming out in March, and the sequel “Kung Fu Panda 3,” which has a Christmas release date. The Los Angeles Times reported one source saying Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg was not happy with the progress of “B.O.O.” while a second source said the release date was changed due to competition from other animated films, notably a new release from Pixar Animation Studios, owned by Walt Disney Co., in Burbank. “Animated features are our most valuable asset and we regularly evaluate how to maximize their value, including determining the most opportune time to release a film,” the company said in a prepared statement in response to the report. DreamWorks last delayed a movie when it pushed back the release date of “Mr.Peabody & Sherman” to spring 2014 from fall 2013. At the same time in early 2013, the company announced it was sending back to development “Me and My Shadow,” a move that resulted in layoffs at the Glendale campus. Shares closed up 22 cents, or nearly 1 percent, to $22.70 on the Nasdaq. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced on Wednesday a partnership to distribute programming from World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. starting next year. The division of Warner Bros. Entertainment in Burbank will have the rights to distribute new documentaries, match compilations, collectible titles and pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam. Jeff Brown, general manager and executive vice president, television, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, noted that WWE titles accounted for the top 10 sports DVDs sold in 2013, with “WrestleMania 29” the number one title. “WWE is an iconic brand that has one of the most passionate fan bases in sports and entertainment,” Brown said in a prepared statement. Warner Bros. and WWE had previously collaborated on animation programming combining a wrestling theme with “Scooby Doo” and “The Flintstones.”

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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