Guardians' subsidies worth U$20m

According to the US network ABC, Animal Logic’s animated feature Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole had a production budget of U$100m, “before Australian subsidies brought the tab down to $80 million”.

The film opened at number two of the US box office with an estimated U$16,335,000 (average U$4,569), according to Box Office Mojo.

The film, directed by Zack Snyder, opened behind Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, with U$19m. It was financed by Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures.

ABC News reported  Dan Fellman, president of US domestic distribution at Warner, had hoped for a U$18-20m opening,  but was “heartened” by good exit polls and an A-minus rating from an audience survey which indicated positive word-of-mouth which could help Guardians have a long life at the box office.