Weekend Forecast: ‘Penguins of Madagascar’

Thanksgiving weekend sees the release of two franchise pictures for very different audiences.

Penguins of Madagascar

PROS:

– The titular characters have proven to be one of the most popular components of the Madagascar franchise over the past decade.
– Opening over the holiday frame will take advantage of the large number of families heading out to theaters during this time of year
– The film’s 3.3 million+ Facebook fans represent the film’s strong brand awareness.

CONS:

– Similar to what happened with the How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda sequels, it’s possible that the Penguins have been overexposed outside of the main Madagascar films through the likes of their television show.
– The 2014 box office market has seen its share of low points, and without any sort of “event level” draw, families could end up deciding to skip this and/or check out Big Hero 6.
– Twitter and Flixster buzz are noticeably behind that of most animated releases this year.