LAIKA’s stop-motion Wildwood opened at No. 3 with $11.6 million, beating its tracking with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. But on a reported $100 million budget, it has a long way to go.
LAIKA’s “Wildwood” did better than expected in its first weekend. Whether that’s good enough is a different question.
The stop-motion fantasy opened to $11.6 million in the U.S. over Oct. 23 to 25.
That landed it at No. 3, according to Rotten Tomatoes’ weekend box office report and Fortune.
The opening beat pre-release tracking of $5 million to $10 million, SlashFilm reported. The catch is the budget, which SlashFilm and Rotten Tomatoes put at about $100 million. LAIKA hasn’t confirmed that number.
Here’s the official trailer from LAIKA:
What beat Wildwood at the box office?
DC’s “Clayface” took the weekend with about $24 million, per Fortune. A24’s “You Can See Everything” was second with $19.5 million in its second weekend.
“Wildwood” came in right behind them. “Street Fighter” was fourth with $8.6 million, and “Wicker” rounded out the top five with $5.7 million.
Disney fans, your studio wasn’t really in this fight. The biggest Disney-owned title on the chart was 20th Century Studios’ “Whalefall,” which sat at No. 8 with $3.2 million, per Rotten Tomatoes.
Screen Daily’s headline put the “Wildwood” global opening at about $15 million. Monday’s final numbers could nudge the domestic figure a little either way, since one early estimate had it at $12.3 million.
Is Wildwood a hit or a flop?
Too early to say, but the math is tough. A film that cost about $100 million usually needs to earn a lot more than that worldwide to break even once marketing is counted.
The reviews are on its side. “Wildwood” holds a 100% Tomatometer score, Rotten Tomatoes reported Oct. 26.
Good word of mouth can help an animated movie hang on through the holidays.
Competition is coming, though. Family audiences have a crowded few weeks ahead as the holiday movies roll in.
How does Wildwood compare to other LAIKA movies?
It’s in the middle of the pack. Rotten Tomatoes’ report lists LAIKA’s past domestic totals: “Coraline” earned more than $75 million, “ParaNorman” about $56 million, “The Boxtrolls” about $50 million and “Kubo and the Two Strings” about $49 million.
“Missing Link” is the one LAIKA would rather forget. It made $16.6 million in the U.S. on a budget of roughly $100 million.
It opened to just $5.9 million, per SlashFilm. “Wildwood” nearly doubled that opening.
So it’s not a “Missing Link” repeat. It’s also not “Coraline,” which is still LAIKA’s biggest hit.
What is Wildwood about?
The movie is based on the 2011 novel “Wildwood” by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis. Meloy is the lead singer of The Decemberists, and Ellis, his wife, did the illustrations.
In the book, a girl named Prue goes into a forbidden forest outside Portland, Oregon, to rescue her baby brother after crows carry him off. LAIKA, which is based near Portland, kept that setting.
The film had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on Oct. 11 before opening in U.S. theaters 12 days later.
Travis Knight, LAIKA’s president and CEO, directed it. He also directed “Kubo and the Two Strings” and Paramount’s “Bumblebee.” Chris Butler, who made “Missing Link,” wrote the screenplay.
Who is in the Wildwood voice cast?
It’s a stacked cast. Peyton Elizabeth Lee of Disney’s “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” voices Prue.
Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Maya Erskine and Tom Waits also lend their voices, along with Richard E. Grant.
Fathom Entertainment distributes the film in the U.S., with FilmNation handling sales overseas, according to a January Business Wire release. Black Bear is releasing it in the UK.
That’s an unusual setup for an animated film this size. Fathom is better known for anniversary rereleases and event screenings than big new animated releases, which makes a No. 3 debut a pretty good showing for the company.
Is Wildwood OK for kids?
Parents, take note. “Wildwood” is rated PG-13, LAIKA’s first film with that rating. That’s a step up from the PG on “Coraline” and “Kubo.”
So it’s not quite a little-kid movie. For older kids who loved “Coraline,” though, it might be exactly their speed.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Rotten Tomatoes (Oct. 26), weekend box office, Tomatometer and LAIKA totals
Fortune (Oct. 26), weekend chart
SlashFilm (Oct. 15), tracking, budget and Missing Link opening
Screen Daily (Oct. 26), global opening headline
Business Wire (Jan. 20), distribution
LAIKA Studios, official trailer
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