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Kim Hollis: Shrek just has broader appeal and is a known quantity since the release of the first one. Pixar keeps coming up with new, original ideas, which is great for movies, but as far as pulling in a consistent audience, it's more difficult.

David Mumpower: Do you believe that the currently in-production Toy Story 3 will break this record for opening weekend, Kim? Or final box office?

Kim Hollis: I actually do think Toy Story 3 has a great shot at breaking records. If you remember, Toy Story 2 was a huge surprise for its performance at the time. Those are some truly beloved characters.

Tim Briody: It's as pre-sold as you can get, just like this.

David Mumpower: I would have argued that Shrek had become a bigger franchise than Toy Story before reviews started coming in for Shrek the Third. Now I'm thinking it's pretty close to a franchise killer unless there is a tremendous disconnect between audience opinion and movie reviews.

Reagen Sulewski: It'll take a pretty direct shot to kill the Shrek franchise. Although as we've pointed out, it's not the only kids-friendly franchise, it's probably the most kids-friendly, and that always builds in a level of protection. Hell, we got two Ice Age films after all, and those were as poorly reviewed as it gets.

Kim Hollis: And Joel, I couldn't disagree more about Pixar not doing it "as well". Their films are timeless and smart, whereas Shrek (and various other DreamWorks Animation films) rely on scatological humor and pop culture references that are stale and forgotten a few years later. Not saying I haven't enjoyed Shrek 1 and 2 for what they are, but everything Pixar has ever done is better.

Joel Corcoran: I'm not so optimistic when it comes to Toy Story 3. By the time it's released, ten years will have elapsed since Toy Story 2, and almost 15 years since the first one.

Kim Hollis: And grown-ups that watched Toy Story movies as children will now have a chance to love it with their children. It's a huge opportunity with characters that are so well loved they have toys on the shelf even though there's no matching movie in theaters and hasn't been for several years.

David Mumpower: Kim, I think the key is that quality and box office performance need to be separated here. Since we're discussing the financial performance, that's how we define "winning" on a weekly basis. From a bigger picture scale, studios make most of their money once films leave theaters. In those ancillary marketplaces, Pixar is just killing DreamWorks. The five million copies of Shrek 2 DVDs that had been destroyed are a testament to that.

Joel Corcoran: Oh, I think Pixar films are definitely better, but the range of humor isn't as encompassing. To me, the Shrek films consistently hit broader ranges of humor - including the poop jokes.

Kim Hollis: Right. I'm simply disagreeing with the idea that Shrek is more adult targeted. If anything, it's broader.

David Mumpower: Shrek films have a shorter shelf life due to the constant pop culture references. Those immediately date movies. DreamWorks acknowledged as much and consciously moved away from those in Shrek the Third, apparently to the detriment of the movie.

Joel Corcoran: I guess we're saying that broader and crappier earns more money in the short term than narrower and better.

Put on your eye patch and shoulder parrot! It's time for Pirates!

Kim Hollis: We all agree that Shrek is a staggering success. Now we're just wondering where you think Pirates 3 will fall compared to Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third.

Joel Corcoran: I'm sticking by what I've said before - I think Pirates 3 will beat Spider-Man and set the new box office record. Not by much, mind you, but it will exceed Spider-Man 3.

David Mumpower: I don't expect At World's End to get the three-day record over Spider-Man 3 due to the 168 minute run-time, but it's going to have an exemplary four-day holiday total of $160 million or so. I expect it to wind up with the third largest opening of all-time, slightly exceeding Shrek the Third but not quite matching Dead Man's Chest.

Kim Hollis: I've decided to waffle. I now think Pirates 3 rules them all. And I think it will have ample showings to account for the run time because it can take the screens of all the garbage still in theaters right now.

David Mumpower: Kim hits on a fascinating point. Films #3-#10 in the box office this weekend earned a combined $20 million. There is a lot of chaff and not nearly enough wheat at the movies right now.

Joel Corcoran: Make 'em all walk the plank. Let's see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End wall-to-wall, screen-to-screen, multiplex-to-multiplex. It'll be more popular than Slurm!

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