MUMBAI: After the dismal performance of Happy Feet Two at the box-office, six hundred of the 700 employees at the Sydney-based digital production studio Dr D Studios, which was behind the animated film, have reportedly been told that they would be soon laid off.
Happy Feet Two, a sequel to 2006‘s Academy Award-winning film Happy Feet that grossed $384.3 million off a budget of $100 million had amassed a meagre $30.3 million worldwide.
There may be a silver lining for some of the employees in the notice. They have reportedly been offered a job at Kennedy-Miller Mitchell Films, a new company that has Dr. D Studios as a joint partnership with Omnilab Media. The company is likely to get off the ground early next year.
Released on November 18, Happy Feet Two has not found much success. It opened in 3,606 theaters and came in second at the box office during its debut weekend after grossing $21.2 million.
Dr. D Studios, that specialises in digital feature film production and high-end special effects, reportedly had hoped to compete with Peter Jackson‘s Weta Digital in neighboring New Zealand.