Wildwood’s $12.2 Million Launch Tests Laika’s Box Office Future

By Marcus Bennett

Wildwood grossed $12.2 million domestically in its opening weekend, according to figures reported by IndieWire, and placed No. 3 behind Clayface and You Can See Everything. It added $2.9 million from a handful of international markets. Most of its global run was still ahead.

It was Laika’s first release in seven years and the sixth animated feature from the Portland, Oregon-based stop-motion studio. Travis Knight’s most ambitious project under the Laika banner had been in development for years, and audiences had waited longer for it.

For Laika, IndieWire said, the film needed both a solid opening and genuine enthusiasm that could reintroduce audiences to the studio.

IndieWire used Coraline, Laika’s debut and breakout stop-motion hit, as the standard: it was not a gangbusters blockbuster, but its staying power built a legacy for the studio.

Dave Burke, Laika’s Chief Marketing Officer and an executive producer on Wildwood, told IndieWire that the results could bring a few more screens beyond its first-weekend 2,940. Alamo Drafthouse showed the film on 11 screens and was looking to add another six, Burke said.

“I think we needed to prove ourselves as the new kid on the block, and I think the data points to the fact that there’s a really compelling business case for exhibition to get on even more robustly and support the film in the kind of coming weeks,” Burke said.

IndieWire cited a reported budget of around $100 million and said some observers considered the film potentially one of the most expensive animated films ever made, helping to explain the early headlines. IndieWire also framed expensive, hand-crafted passion projects, with budgets treated as an afterthought, as part of Laika’s DNA.

IndieWire treated Kubo and the Two Strings as the better comparison and offered two other benchmarks:

• Kubo and the Two Strings: The film opened at $12.6 million and finished with $48 million domestically and $76 million worldwide.
• Missing Link: Laika’s 2019 film opened at $5.9 million and finished at $17 million domestically, less than half of Wildwood’s opening and a total Wildwood was expected to easily surpass.
• Forgotten Island: DreamWorks’ film opened at $13 million earlier that year and had reached $67.9 million worldwide.

For IndieWire, the decisive issue was whether the studio could repeat the strong holds and word of mouth of its earlier hits. All five previous Laika films had hefty multiples, including Coraline (4.5x), ParaNorman (4.1x) and Kubo and the Two Strings (3.8x). Early exit tracking suggested Wildwood could exceed even that 3.8x result.

IndieWire also reported an A CinemaScore, nearly universal positive scores and “recommend” grades from PostTrak, and a 99 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating at the time of writing. It posted strong per-screen averages across 395 PLFs and some Dolby Cinemas. Portland cinemas packed houses for a film set in and paying homage to the city.

This was one of Fathom Entertainment’s first truly wide releases for an original film after the company’s successful rerelease of Coraline. IndieWire said both companies viewed the opening numbers as encouraging.

What does this change for Laika?

Most immediately, Wildwood restores Laika’s box-office relevance after a seven-year release gap. Its $12.2 million start and prospect of more screens give the studio evidence that original stop-motion features can draw audiences, secure exhibitor support and reach families beyond the core fan base.

Financial durability remains unresolved. IndieWire estimated that a 3.8 multiple would put Wildwood at roughly $46.3 million domestically. That figure does not establish a profit against the reported $100 million budget, but it shows why holding Wildwood matters more than celebrating its first weekend.

Rather than soften Laika’s darker house style, Wildwood leans into it. Laika’s marketing said the film was PG-13 and aimed at a general audience rather than kids.

It adapts a middle-grade novel by Colin Meloy, lead singer of the indie folk band The Decemberists. IndieWire described its puppetry as intense and often violent, with a third act resembling a “Lord of the Rings” war sequence.

Burke reported a strong showing among viewers under 34 and a good mix of tweens attending with their parents. Common Sense Media gave it five stars.

IndieWire viewed those demographics as central to Laika’s task: cultivate new fans, bring them back to older titles and sustain interest as the studio expands into live-action films and Travis Knight develops his next project.

“People have just really recognized from the get go this is an extraordinary undertaking, and there’s a real sense that everyone is willing for us to succeed, and I think that is something that we don’t take lightly,” Burke said.

“We have a responsibility to make sure that this film gets seen by the widest possible audience, and that’s why I’m so focused on the next couple of weeks, but also its afterlife and what its legacy looks like.”

Over the next couple of weeks, holds, word of mouth and screen additions will show whether Laika has turned a $12.2 million opening into durable support for original animation, its expansion into live-action films and Travis Knight’s next project.