Ice Age a Mammoth Hit in Mexico

Friday, May 05, 2006
By: Ryan Ball

As Mexico celebrates Cinco de Mayo today, Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios are toasting the south-of-the-border success of their latest animated feature. Ice Age: The Meltdown has surpassed Shrek 2 as the nation’s biggest box office hit in history, according to Daily Variety.

Known simply as Meltdown in Mexico, the Ice Age sequel has raked in more than $28 million, compared to Shrek 2’s record-breaking take of $27.8 million. A cume of around $30 million is predicted for Meltdown, which has been playing in Mexican theaters for five weeks now.

For the release, Fox Mexico reportedly sunk a lot of cash into promotional efforts, which included billboards, product tie-ins and CG-animated spots that aired during the most-watched soccer matches.

Moviegoers in Mexico have exhibited a strong appetite for CG animation from major Hollywood studios. Meanwhile, domestic efforts such as Anima Estudios’ Magos y Gigantes (Wizards and Giants), Mexico’s first animated feature in more than 30 years, have a long way to go to catch up. Anima is hoping it’s next toon feature, Imaginum, fares better with local auds.

Reader Comments

• cesar : journalist : diario del yaqui

  Saturday, May 06, 2006

  Ice Age 2 is not knowed as Meltdown, as it claims, but La Era del Hielo Dos (ice age 2), that's it, a direct traslation from english.
  
  Also, is not of all that Mexico have, quoting, "exhibited a strong appetite for CG animation from major Hollywood studios". Valiant and another movies like The Wild or Robots aren´t a big succes of all. But the box office information from the cinemas and distribuitors are less than nothing to the public.
  
  Magos y gigantes was not a succes in the box office. It was only three weeks in screen, and Imaginum less than that. As i said, box office information is not accesible for public.
  
  thanks for attention.

• cesar : journalist : diario del yaqui

  Saturday, May 06, 2006

  Ice Age 2 is not knowed as Meltdown, as it claims, but La Era del Hielo Dos (ice age 2), that's it, a direct traslation from english.
  
  Also, is not of all that Mexico have, quoting, "exhibited a strong appetite for CG animation from major Hollywood studios". Valiant and another movies like The Wild or Robots aren´t a big succes of all. But the box office information from the cinemas and distribuitors are less than nothing to the public.
  
  Magos y gigantes was not a succes in the box office. It was only three weeks in screen, and Imaginum less than that. As i said, box office information is not accesible for public.
  
  thanks for attention.