DreamWorks Animation is already priming the pump for its upcoming flick Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
(See, the '2' in the title not only signifies that it's a sequel, but it's a hip-hop n' happening way of writing 'to' as well! These guys are good!)
The flick brings back voice actors Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith, David Schwimmer, Sasha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer and Andy Richter, and starts right where the original 2005 movie ended.
What's Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa About?
Here's the synopsis for the flick, courtesy of the DreamWorks Animation website:
"All the lovable characters are back – Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo and Melman the Giraffe, King Julien, Maurice and the penguins – in Madagascar: The Crate Escape (Whoops! Someone at DreamWorks needs to change that synopsis, pronto!). Left marooned on the distant shores of Madagascar, the New Yorkers have hatched a plan so crazy it might just work. With military precision, the penguins have repaired an old, crashed plane – sort of.
"Once aloft, this unlikely crew stays airborne just enough to make it to the wildest place of all – the vast plains of Africa itself – where our zoo-raised crew encounter species of their own kind for the very first time. While discovering their roots, they quickly realize the differences between the concrete jungle and the heart of Africa. Despite long-lost relatives, romantic rivals and scheming hunters, Africa seems like a "crack-a-lackin'" great place . . . but is it better than their Central Park home?"
Hijinks will likely ensue, Alex and Marty will certainly revisit their predator/prey dynamic that they seemingly resolved in the first film, and hopefully DreamWorks isn't ripping off Gary Sinise's "Great White Hunter" from Sony's Open Season.
How Will Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa do in Theatres?
Possibly the biggest signal DreamWorks Animation gave about Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa's box office chances was when Jeffrey Katzenberg and company shifted the flick from its original summer release to a November debut.
This runs counter to the Glendale studio's usual modus operandi, which puts the sequels to established franchises (which presumably has a built-in audience) during the summer months, and debuts the first-run movies (which are seen as a tougher sell) during the run-up to Christmas. But this time, it's Kung Fu Panda going up against the mighty WALL-E, and Escape 2 Africa competing against the much weaker Bolt.
The original Madagascar made $193 million during its domestic theatrical run, making it the 3rd most profitable DreamWorks Animation film released so far (Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third are 1 and 2, respectively).
Despite the flick's financial success, critics and moviegoers were lukewarm to the film, giving it a 6.5 out of 10 on IMDb and a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The general consensus appeared to be that the minor characters, such as Cohen's King Julien and the paramilitary penguins, actually carried the flick instead of the established stars, which is why they have a much bigger role in the sequel.
However, DreamWorks Animation's entire business plan is based on making franchise flicks and milking them for all they're worth, and their only franchise to date, the Shrek series, has only two movies left at best. Madagascar's near-blockbuster status makes it an obvious choice for a sequel, whether there's truly an audience there for it or not.
So, can Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa triumph over critic and viewer apathy and start a new franchise? Find out when the flick rolls into theatres on November 7th.
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