Animated ogre rakes in the green

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — Still riding on the coattails of its singular green ogre Shrek, Glendale-based DreamWorks more than quadrupled its income in the third quarter compared with the same period last year, the company reported Tuesday.

It was the second quarter in a row this year that DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. more than quadrupled its year-over-year quarterly income.

For the three-month period ending Sept. 30, the animation titan posted $160.8 million in total revenue and net income of $47 million, or 47 cents per share. Those figures are up from $55.6 million in revenue and $10.5 million in income last year, according to a company report.

“Shrek the Third,” whose domestic box office performance bolstered the company’s revenue last quarter, led the pack again this quarter, bringing in $92.1 million in revenue tied to its international box office success, Lew Coleman, DreamWorks chief financial officer, said in a conference call with investors and media.

The Shrek series, which features the voices of actors Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz, has generated $793 million in worldwide box office receipts to date, according to the report.

The series’ success has prompted DreamWorks to place Shrek in a variety of new marketing and retail environments, said Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks chief executive officer.

Couch potatoes can expect to see the ogre’s debut in two television spots in the fourth quarter.

“Shrek will help mark the start of the holiday season this year by making his first appearance in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade as the official 2007 ambassador for the event,” Katzenberg said.

And a television holiday feature program, “Shrek the Halls,” will debut on ABC on Nov. 28, he said.

The amplified marketing efforts come amid predictions of unprecedented competition in the home video market this quarter.

When “Shrek the Third” DVDs hit the stands, it will be joined by Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Jack Sparrow and Transformers.

“It’s difficult to see how this abundance of product will not impact the individual performance of each title,” Katzenberg said. “So in addition to the caveats that we would typically place on the home video release of a sequel, we remain especially cautious this holiday due to the unprecedented level of competition from new releases.”

While much of the company’s focus headed into the fourth quarter is on the home video market, the most anticipated event in the quarter is likely the domestic theatrical release today of “Bee Movie,” a DreamWorks animated feature written by and starring the voice of comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

As major studios throughout the region brace for a possible strike by the Writers’ Guild of America, Katzenberg noted that DreamWorks would not be immediately or directly affected by such a strike, noting that his company’s writers are governed by the animation union.

“We will not be impacted by a WGA strike if there is to be one, but I think that it certainly is going to have a negative impact on everybody,” he said.

 RYAN VAILLANCOURT covers business, politics and the foothills. He may be reached at (818) 637-3215 or by e-mail at ryan.vaillancourt@latimes.com.