Wildwood Box Office: Laika's $100M Animated Fantasy Falls…

Wildwood Box Office: Laika’s $100M Animated Fantasy Falls Short of Break-Even Target

Laika's $100M animated fantasy opens to underwhelming numbers, falling far short of its $250M break-even target despite strong reviews.

By Day One2 hours ago1 min read

Current hype level62

Wildwood, Laika’s first original film in seven years and a stop-motion animated fantasy that’s drawn praise from critics, has opened to a disappointing $12.3 million across its three-day opening weekend in North America — its second-lowest domestic debut for the studio, trailing only Coraline. By Monday, the film had added just $1.4 million, marking a steep 62.7% drop from Sunday’s earnings.

Its four-day domestic total now stands at $13.7 million. When combined with international receipts, the film’s worldwide gross has reached $16.6 million. That figure is far from sufficient: according to industry benchmarks, a film of this scale needs roughly 2.5 times its production cost to break even. With a reported budget of $100 million, Wildwood must earn $250 million globally to turn a profit.

It remains more than $233 million short of that target. To close the gap, it would need a 1309% increase in worldwide earnings, a stretch, but not impossible. The film, which follows Prue (Mae Whitman) and her classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay) as they venture into an enchanted forest to rescue her kidnapped infant brother, Mac, also introduces Alexandra (Florence Pugh), a mysterious woman who warns them of an impending war.

Though the story has earned strong word-of-mouth and critical acclaim, audiences haven’t responded in numbers large enough to sustain momentum. The film was released on October 23. While it’s still early to write off the film entirely, some movies find their footing after a slow start, the current trajectory suggests it may struggle to recover.

Whether it becomes a cult favorite or fades quietly remains to be seen. The next few days will determine if this ambitious stop-motion project can overcome its weak opening.