"Turbo" finding new life overseas after so-so American run - MotorSportsTalk

While “Turbo” is set to go to Blu-ray and DVD on Nov. 12 here in America, Dreamworks’ animated racing movie is putting up a strong showing at the overseas box office.

The story about a super-fast snail taking on the Indianapolis 500 has managed to bank more than $160 million overseas, with markets such as France, Spain and the United Kingdom most recently having its releases of the film. “Turbo’s” international gross alone is enough to cover the film’s $135 million production budget.

The overseas results for “Turbo” are a stark contrast to the sluggish showing it had here in America. On its opening U.S. weekend, it finished third at the box office ($21.3 million) and according to Box Office Mojo, it’s barely managed to crack $80 million Stateside.

That rough start triggered talk of a potential writedown for Dreamworks according to investors. But with almost $250 million in worldwide ticket sales, “Turbo” is helping the company enjoy higher share prices according to Bloomberg.

It also helps that Dreamworks has been working to stop being so dependent on the box office for its revenue. The company has been expanding into other areas such as toys, video games, and television.

“Turbo” will be part of that particular initiative, as streaming service Netflix will launch an animated series based on the film next month.

Follow @estradawriting

In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

“Turbo” finding new life overseas after so-so American run

SuperMotocross set to introduce Leader Lights beginning with the World Championship finals

Read more about SuperMotocross