Laika’s stop-motion fantasy film Wildwood grossed an estimated $11.6 million across 2,942 theater locations during its opening weekend from October 23–25, landing in third place nationally at the box office. While national ticket sales outperformed pre-release analyst forecasts of $6 million to $10 million, the film achieved completely sold-out screenings across independent cinemas in Portland, driven by intense local support for the Hillsboro-based studio.
The Bottom Line
- Wildwood secured third place at the national box office with $11.6 million over its October 23–25 opening weekend, beating analyst projections.
- Portland independent venues, including The Hollywood Theatre and Moreland Theater, experienced completely sold-out screenings fueled by heavy local promotion.
- Directed by Travis Knight and based on Colin Meloy’s 2011 book, the picture marks Laika’s first PG-13 release, featuring mature themes like a suicide attempt and intense battle sequences.
National Box Office Standing and Financial Projections
The domestic box office for the October 23–25 weekend placed Laika’s latest project behind two other notable releases, according to BoxOfficeReport.com. Nathan Fielder’s three-hour documentary You Can See Everything took in $19.5 million, while the body horror film Clayface claimed the top spot with $24 million. Despite trailing those titles, Wildwood exceeded expectations set by industry analysts polled by the Los Angeles Times, who had forecast a box office haul between $6 million and $10 million.
Laika Studios has not officially revealed the production budget for the film. However, industry estimates published by Forbes place the cost of producing one of the studio’s handcrafted, stop-motion features between $60 million and $100 million. Directed by Travis Knight—president and CEO of Laika and son of Nike co-founder Phil Knight—the film marks a departure for the studio as its first project rated PG-13. The classification stems from dark narrative elements, opening with a character’s suicide attempt and incorporating intense puppet-on-puppet violence during conflicts within the Impassable Wilderness.
Portland Independent Theaters Face Unprecedented Demand
In stark contrast to its middle-of-the-pack national standing, the homegrown project generated overwhelming enthusiasm in the Portland area. The local response followed an intensive marketing blitz titled “Wild for Wildwood,” highlighted by Willamette Week on October 20. The story centers on a 2011 young adult fantasy novel written by local author Colin Meloy and illustrated by Carson Ellis.
The Hollywood Theatre is showing the film in both 35 mm and digital formats, resulting in complete sellouts across the entire opening weekend, according to a theater spokeswoman. Every screening in both formats is sold out through Nov. 1. The location also hosted a special event featuring appearances by Meloy and Ellis. Similarly, Southeast Portland’s Moreland Theater reported strong attendance, selling out an October 25 screening that featured a post-film Q&A session with three Laika artists.
Audience Reception and Critical Acclaim
Ticket sales at the 268-seat Moreland Theater hovered around 200 patrons per screening throughout the weekend. Moreland Theater manager Patrick Schranck noted that the venue experienced its busiest period in a long time, emphasizing the strong connection audiences felt with the material. Screenings featured vocal audience reactions, including clapping, laughing, and cheering at local geographical references—particularly an early sequence where the protagonist Prue, voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, rides her bicycle through the city.
Critical response matched the local enthusiasm, with the film holding a 99% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Schranck expressed optimism that broader national audiences would eventually match the fervor seen in the Pacific Northwest, noting appreciation for the craftsmanship and storytelling involved in the stop-motion production.
