Headline PH: `Shrek Forever After' tops box office with $71.3M

LOS ANGELES – "Shrek Forever After" roared its way to the top of the box office, making $71.3 million in its opening weekend.

But the fourth film in the monster franchise from DreamWorks Animation had the weakest debut of all "Shrek" sequels, according to studio estimates Sunday. "Shrek 2," from 2004, opened with $108 million. "Shrek the Third," from 2007, made $121.6 million in its first weekend.

And the latest installment was available for the first time in 3-D and IMAX 3-D, where ticket prices are higher — up to $19 in Manhattan. "Shrek" made just under $5 million on IMAX screens, or 7 percent of the film's weekend gross.

This time, Shrek — voiced as always by Mike Myers — is experiencing a mid-life crisis, so he makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to live as a fearsome ogre again for one day. Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas return to the voice cast.

"We're obviously happy to be the No. 1 movie, which we anticipated," said Anne Globe, head of worldwide marketing for DreamWorks Animation.

"It's a little lower than we anticipated but it's still No. 4 among all animated openings of all time, behind the first two `Shrek' sequels and `The Simpsons (Movie),'" which opened with $74 million in 2007.

By CHRISTY LEMIRE,
AP Movie Writer

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