OVERVIEW: The animation house had been releasing two movies a year, but this year it released only one. It said in July it would produce five movies every two years, starting with three next year beginning in March with "How to Train Your Dragon."

Revenue from shipments of "Monsters vs Aliens" on DVD, Blu-ray disc and other video-on-demand platforms was expected to start arriving in the third quarter.

This week, the company also said that in January it would end the Broadway run of "Shrek the Musical," an expensive production that has seen its grosses dwindle since the end of summer. A national tour is to begin in July at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago.

BY THE NUMBERS: Analysts, on average, expect DreamWorks Animation to see revenue shrink 15 percent to $129 million, with earnings down 62 percent to 16 cents per share, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.

The company's small number of releases means that big swings in quarterly earnings from year to year are common.

ANALYST TAKE: On Thursday, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter said he expected revenue of $138 million and earnings of 16 cents per share.

He said the industrywide slump in DVD sales would reverse itself in 2010 as the economy recovers and called DreamWorks Animation "a prime beneficiary."

Pachter has a "neutral" rating on the shares and a $33 price target.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Next year, TV manufacturers will begin introducing 3-D-capable sets for the mass market and 3-D Blu-ray discs and players are expected to go on sale. That should help the company, which has said it will produce all its upcoming movies in 3-D.

STOCK PERFORMANCE: The company's shares rose 29 percent over the quarter, to $35.57 on Sept. 30 from $27.59 on June 30.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.