Laika and Fathom Sue to Pull 'Wildwood' From L.A.'s Reopened Bruin Theatre

Laika and Fathom Entertainment have taken legal action to stop screenings of the animated film "Wildwood" at Los Angeles' historic Bruin Theatre, just days after the venue's October 23 reopening. IndieWire independently confirmed that screenings continued at the Bruin through at least Sunday afternoon, October 25, and the theater's website still advertised daily showings at 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. as of publication.

The film, Laika's first animated feature in a decade of high-profile anticipation, had been booked for a week-long run at the newly reopened Westwood venue. The companies did not specify what form the legal action took.

"When Laika became aware of the Bruin engagement, we immediately raised concerns with Fathom Entertainment, our theatrical distribution partner. Laika and Fathom commenced legal action to end the film's screenings at the theatre," the companies said in a joint statement provided exclusively to IndieWire.

They added: "We have not yet received confirmation that the screenings have stopped. We are continuing to explore our options, as the concerns regarding the theatre operator are incompatible with the values of our two companies."

Who runs the Bruin, and why does it matter?

The operator at the center of the dispute is Rui Pereira, whose rocky history running Toronto's Kingsway Theatre was the subject of an IndieWire investigation published September 3. That reporting drew on interviews with more than 25 sources in the U.S. and Canada, plus court records, correspondence and social media posts. It examined allegations of assault, nonpayment, racial discrimination, online harassment and unauthorized film exhibition.

Pereira has broadly disputed the allegations. "There are no controversies and any attempt to generate them is dishonest and disingenuous," he told IndieWire at the time. "The Bruin Theater is a gift, not only to Los Angeles, but the world — a cultural heritage site that unites generations of movie goers in the experience of cinema."

Reached by phone, Pereira asked IndieWire how the outlet had obtained a cease-and-desist letter. IndieWire had neither received nor reviewed such a letter. "You guys are assholes. Everything you have written is false," he said. In a subsequent email on October 26, he referred to IndieWire staff as "presstitutes" and accused the publication of being paid to write negatively about him.

What does this change for the theater?

The dispute creates an immediate programming problem. The Bruin sat dark after Regency Theatres departed in July 2024, and "Wildwood" — which opened in nearly 3,000 theaters nationwide — was its comeback attraction. Losing the film weeks into a reopening leaves the venue's slate in question.

The pressure on Pereira predates the lawsuit. Two volunteers left the Bruin restoration project in August after posts attributed to the Kingsway account circulated among L.A. moviegoers; screenshots reviewed by IndieWire included racist and antisemitic remarks. Asked by The Hollywood Reporter on August 23 about specific posts — one telling a target to "Go back to Poland," another calling a swastika painted on a Jewish family's home "the proper symbol for zionazis" — Pereira acknowledged the comments were "offensive" and said he "must take responsibility."

Separately, IndieWire previously identified 55 advertised screenings of 17 films at the Kingsway that three rights holders said they had not authorized. Those findings came from a limited sample. "There are no issues with film licensing or any disputes," Pereira said.

Notably, Laika and Fathom's statement does not claim the Bruin booking itself was unauthorized. Their objection is to Pereira as an operator, not the deal's legality. A booking across roughly 3,000 theaters, as the companies' own scale implies, can hardly vet every exhibitor.

The Bruin has achieved the reopening its new operator promised. Whether it keeps showing the film that brought audiences back is now a legal question — and one that tests how much trust a landmark's marquee can carry.