Old movie sales animate Pixar
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, November 8, 2005
Pixar Animation Studios Inc., which produced the hit films “The Incredibles” and “Finding Nemo,” reported Tuesday that its third-quarter earnings rose 22 percent on robust home video sales of older titles. Pixar, based in Emeryville, Calif., said it earned $27.4 million, or 22 cents a share, for the three months ended Oct. 1, compared with $22.4 million, or 19 cents a share, in the same period of 2004.
New drug trials prompt Sonus loss
Sonus Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Bothell reported a third-quarter loss of $8.9 million, or 37 cents a share, compared with a $3.6 million loss in the same period of 2004. Spending on stepped-up clinical trials for the company’s experimental chemotherapy drug Tocosol paclitaxel was the primary cause of the higher loss. During the quarter, Germany’s Schering AG agreed to help Sonus bring Tocosol through the regulatory approval process and to market.
Game promotion helps McDonald’s
McDonald’s Corp.’s Monopoly game promotion helped maintain momentum at the fast-food chain in October, contributing to a 3 percent sales increase at U.S. restaurants open at least 13 months. McDonald’s shares rose 30 cents to close at $34 Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange, just shy of the 41/2-year closing high of $34.20 in September.
Boeing Business Jet sales pass 100
The Boeing Co. said Tuesday that it has passed a milestone by selling its 102nd Boeing Business Jet. Of those, 83 already are in service. Boeing launched the program – high-performance versions of the 737-700 and 737-800 – in 1996. Boeing has not revealed the identities of any of the buyers or operators, but said 40 percent of Boeing Business Jets belong to private individuals and 36 percent to heads of state. Another 14 percent are operated by corporations, and 10 percent are operated by charter carriers.
Microsoft expects Xbox 360 to be a hit
Microsoft Corp. expects to sell up to 3 million of its new Xbox video-game consoles within 90 days of the product’s launch, executive Bryan Lee said Tuesday. The Nov. 22 North American debut will be followed by a Dec. 2 launch in Europe and a Dec. 10 launch in Japan. In North America, the company will charge $399.99 for the Xbox 360 and $299.99 for a scaled-back version.
From Herald staff and news services
