After opening at #1 in Australia and New Zealand last weekend with $3 million, Shark Tale opens domestically in 4,016 theaters, the largest launch ever for a fall film and the widest opening in history for a non-sequel. Debuting in a lackluster marketplace, Shark Tale finds itself with optimistic box office expectations. Box Office Guru suggests that the film may gross $48 million this weekend, close to Lee’s Movie Info’s prediction of $47.7 million. Meanwhile, Box Office Mojo guesses that Shark Tale may swim away with $50.2 million, but Box Office Report is the most optimistic, forecasting a weekend gross of $55 million.

While Shark Tale may succeed in fulfilling box office expectations, it appears to have met artistic expectations only halfway, as reviews for the movie have been mixed. Paul Clinton of CNN calls the picture, “A delightful, delicious and fresh pop culture comedy,” while Todd McCarthy of Variety [paid subscription required] says, “Overfamiliarity extends to the story, jokes and music, most of which reference popular entertainment of about 30 years ago.” Of course, the inevitable comparisons to Finding Nemo are also provided. A. O. Scott of the New York Times judges, “Swimming in the lucrative wake of Finding Nemo, DreamWorks’s foray into computer-generated underwater animation is a rambunctious, reasonably amusing pop confection,” but Glenn Lovell of the San Jose Mercury News feels that, “Whatever we found with Nemo and his determined dad seems to have been lost or forgotten in this fishy tale.” Perhaps IGN FilmForce puts it best, as it notes, “Shark Tale is designed to be pretty, fun, and inoffensive, and in that regard it mostly accomplishes its goals.” Check out Rotten Tomatoes for more reviews, or decide for yourself by seeing Shark Tale, now playing in a theater near you.