The Lowdown
Stop-motion is never going to open like Pixar, and Laika knows it. An A CinemaScore and a tiny Sunday drop are exactly the signals a film like this needs. Wildwood will live or die on its legs over the holidays, not on this weekend.
Key Takeaways
- Wildwood opened with $12.2 million over October 23–25, according to distributor Fathom Entertainment (Cartoon Brew).
- It ranked third, behind Clayface and You Can See Everything (Box Office Mojo).
- The opening more than doubled Missing Link’s $5.9 million and came close to Kubo and the Two Strings’ $12.6 million (Cartoon Brew).
- Fathom reported an A CinemaScore; the film carries a reported $100 million production budget (Cartoon Brew).
The Story
Laika’s Wildwood opened with $12.2 million domestically over October 23–25, according to distributor Fathom Entertainment, outpacing many cautious industry estimates (Cartoon Brew). It finished third for the weekend (Box Office Mojo).
Directed by Travis Knight, the PG-13 stop-motion feature more than doubled the $5.9 million opening of Laika’s Missing Link in 2019 and came close to the $12.6 million debut of Kubo and the Two Strings in 2016 (Cartoon Brew).
Early audience signals were good. Fathom reported an A CinemaScore and five-star Rentrak exit polling, and Sunday dropped just 13% from Saturday (Cartoon Brew).
Profitability is a longer road against a reported $100 million budget. Cartoon Brew noted Laika has historically benefited from extended runs, merchandise and re-releases; Coraline’s 2024 re-release earned $52.4 million worldwide (Cartoon Brew).
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More Context
- Cartoon Brew — Laika’s ‘Wildwood’ Opens Near ‘Kubo’ With $12.2 Million ↗
- Box Office Mojo — Domestic 2026 Weekend 43 ↗