DreamWorks Animation Likely To Shift Release Date For ‘Bureau Of Otherworldly Operations’

The date of the picture is likely going to change, but no new release date has been set by DreamWorks Animation, sources tell Deadline. The Jeffrey Katzenberg-led toon studio currently has B.O.O.: Bureau Of Otherworldly Operations – which features voice work by Matt Bomer, Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Rashida Jones, Seth Rogen and Octavia Spencer — set for June 5. The potential shift is in line with comments Katzenberg made on a recent earnings call during which he talked about evaluating the release date of each new film individually.

As it stands, DWA has a pair of pics cemented on its 2015 schedule: Home, topped by Jim Parson, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, which is due March 27, and the tentpole threequel Kung Fu Panda 3 with Jack Black and the gang.

The B.O.O. bump comes just as merger talks between DWA and Hasbro have ended and a week-plus before the November 26 opening of its spinoff pic Penguins Of Madagascar. Two weeks ago, Janney Capital Markets’ analyst Tony Wible downgraded DWA stock to “neutral,” despite it beating Wall Street expectations for the third quarter. Wible said the company “faces a rough 2015 and now needs to cope with higher cost, a delay in [consumer products] sales, a slower ramp of TV [profit] margin, and lingering impairment risk.” The LA Times first reported the B.O.O. news.

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