Chick flick shows pluck

If “Chicken Little” had anything to prove this weekend, it was that the sky isn’t falling on animation at the Walt Disney Co.

Disney’s first all-computer animated film overcame skeptics and disapproving critics to gross an estimated $40.1 million in its first three days, the studio reported Sunday -- anywhere from $5 million to $10 million above industry projections.

Also opening with significantly higher numbers than expected, “Jarhead,” based on veteran Anthony Swofford’s memoir subtitled “A Marine’s Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles,” took in $28.8 million, Universal reported Sunday, nearly $9 million more than most observers had predicted, and in roughly 1,200 fewer theaters than the Disney movie.

Although less than the $70.5-million opening Pixar’s “The Incredibles” posted on the same weekend last year, or the $47.6 million for DreamWorks’ “Shark Tale” in October 2004, the take for “Chicken Little” is more than double the $16-million opening a month ago of the more favorably reviewed and equally heavily marketed “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” the movie from DreamWorks and Aardman Animations.

DreamWorks’ “Madagascar” took in $47.2 million over the three-day Memorial Day weekend in May, according to box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Inc. This year’s only other computer-animated feature, Fox’s “Robots,” took in a little more than $36 million on its opening weekend in March.

It was the best showing for a Disney-made toon since the hand-drawn “Lilo & Stitch” took in $35.3 million on its first weekend in June 2002, and it was more than the $38.2 million Disney’s “Treasure Planet” tallied in its entire run in 2002.

“Given the overall reviews,” said Lowell Singer, a media analyst with S.G. Cowen & Co., “I think 40 [million dollars] was a good number for Disney.”

Although “clearly not a Pixar movie,” Singer said, “the reviews were comparable to ‘Shark Tale.’ ”

“I think this performance demonstrates that there is a demand for CG [computer-generated] family entertainment,” Singer said. “Over time, as more product enters the market, quality is going to matter more and more.” Last year’s “Home on the Range” was the last hand-drawn feature from Disney’s feature animation unit, which has no more of those planned for the foreseeable future.

Needless to say, executives at Disney were happy. Although it was perceived as skewing young in audience appeal, “Chicken Little” also posted strong evening business on Friday, suggesting broader interest, and ticket sales jumped about 64% on Saturday, said Chuck Viane, president of distribution. Audiences for the film, which cost more than $100 million to make, were about 57% female and about evenly divided between moviegoers younger and older than 18, Disney reported, although 20% of the latter group were 18 to 34 and 35% were 35 and older, according to theater exit surveys.

Disney also released a digitally projected 3-D version of the movie in 85 U.S. locations, which accounted for about $2.1 million of the total, putting it on par with last November’s Imax 3-D film debut of Warner Bros.’ “Polar Express” in 59 giant-screen locations, if estimates hold up.

“It’s a great way to tell a story,” said Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios, and “underscores that moviegoers are looking for something new and fresh.” “Meet the Robinsons,” Disney’s next in-house computer-animated movie, will be released next year in 3-D as well, Cook and Viane confirmed.

As might be expected, “Jarhead” attracted an audience that was 57% male, and only slightly more than half were older than 25, Universal reported.

Saturday business for “Jarhead” was down only 2% from Friday. Universal president of distribution Nikki Rocco likened the movie’s performance to “Black Hawk Down,” which did $28.6 million on its first weekend of wide release in January 2002 after a limited opening in December, and went on to gross almost $109 million domestically.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Box Office

Preliminary results (in millions), based on studio projections.

*--* Movie 3-day gross Total Chicken Little $40.1 $40.1

Jarhead 28.8 28.8

Saw II 17.2 60.5

The Legend of Zorro 10.0 30.3

Prime 5.3 13.5

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story 4.8 23.8

Good Night, and Good Luck 3.1 11.0

The Weather Man 2.9 8.7

Shopgirl 2.5 3.5

Flightplan 2.3 84.5

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Source: Nielsen EDI Inc.

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Los Angeles Times