Business

A snail’s pace for ‘Turbo’

“Turbo,” the DreamWorks Animation film about a snail that opened yesterday, may get squished at the box office.

The movie, which cost about $135 million to produce, is forecast to bring in only $22 million over its opening weekend, analysts said.

“Turbo,” distributed by Twentieth Century Fox, is being pitting against the “Despicable Me 2” steamroller, the Universal movie with sales of $240 million in its first two weeks. The animated category also includes Sony’s “Smurfs 2,” which opens in two weeks.

Lazard Capital’s Barton Crockett said a $35 million opening is possible, “but if it opens at $20 million to $25 million, it could lose money.”

“We are concerned that demand for animated films is sated for the time being,” said Doug Creutz of Cowen & Co.