Laika’s ‘Wildwood’ Holds Its Own at the Box Office as Glowing Word of Mouth Powers Opening Day

Laika has always played by its own rules, and ‘Wildwood’ took that independence further than ever. The stop-motion studio’s first feature since ‘Missing Link’ in 2019 skipped the traditional studio route, partnering with event cinema specialist Fathom Entertainment for domestic distribution and FilmNation for international sales. The film, directed by Travis Knight, follows teenagers Prue and Curtis into an enchanted forest just outside Portland.

That unusual path came with real uncertainty. Pre-release tracking was all over the place, with Boxoffice Pro projecting $6 million to $10 million and Box Office Theory forecasting as low as $4.5 million to $9.5 million. The big question was how many casual animation fans would turn out for a PG-13 original outside Laika’s devoted base.

Now the first full day of results suggests ‘Wildwood’ is landing right where Laika might have hoped. The film earned roughly $4.2 million to $4.3 million on Friday, including about $1 million from Thursday previews, from 2,942 theaters. It’s now pointing to an opening weekend of around $11 million, with some estimates stretching to $14 million.

That puts it firmly in line with Laika’s history. As box office commentator Luiz Fernando noted on X, the opening day compares well with ‘Missing Link’ at $1.6 million, ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ at $4.1 million, ‘Coraline’ at $4.5 million, ‘ParaNorman’ at $4.6 million and ‘The Boxtrolls’ at $4.9 million. He credited extremely positive word of mouth for helping the film keep pace with predecessors released by bigger distributors like MGM and Focus.

Despite #Fathom’s limitations as small distributor, extremely positive WOM is doing a lot of heavy lifting for #LaikaStudios first original animation in 7 years to come on par with predecessors distributed by #MGM & #Focus, as PG-13 artsy animation #Wildwood grosses 4.3M on FRI Opening Day (vs #MissingLink’s 1.6M, #KuboAndTheTwoStrings’ 4.1M, #Coraline’s 4.5M, #ParaNorman’s 4.6M, #TheBoxTrolls’s 4.9M), including 1M THU Previews. Eyeing a 11M-14M 3-day opening weekend

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 24, 2026

The data also reveals where the film is connecting. According to Deadline, premium large formats are delivering 15% of the weekend, while the West is its strongest region at 32% of the gross, compared with a norm of 26%. AMC Burbank stands as its best location with $29,000.

There are places you don’t go. One choice changes everything. Watch the Teaser Trailer for Wildwood now, and see the movie in theatres everywhere October 23. #Wildwood https://t.co/1COoQT3REY

— LAIKA (@LAIKAStudios) May 13, 2026

The early momentum is backed by remarkable reception. ‘Wildwood’ earned an A CinemaScore, matching ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ for the best audience grade in Laika’s history and topping the B+ scores of ‘ParaNorman’, ‘The Boxtrolls’ and ‘Missing Link’.

Critics are equally enthusiastic, with the film sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 98% audience score. That kind of consensus is rare for any release, let alone an original stop-motion fantasy.

‘Wildwood’ is expected to land in third place. DC Studios’ ‘Clayface’ leads the weekend with a projected $24 million, while A24’s ‘You Can See Everything’ is eyeing a strong second frame of around $20 million.

All of LAIKA’s main characters together ahead of the release of ‘WILDWOOD’. https://t.co/OieDE5rsiG

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 20, 2026

Its likely opening isn’t far from a recent big-studio animated release either. DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Forgotten Island’ debuted to $13 million, showing that Fathom’s smaller footprint hasn’t held Laika back as much as some feared.

Laika has never relied on massive openings, and its films have historically built audiences over time. An $11 million start would sit close to the $12.6 million opening of ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’, though it falls short of the $17.3 million needed to beat ‘The Boxtrolls’ as the studio’s biggest domestic debut.

Fathom has also proven it can deliver for Laika before. The 15th anniversary re-release of ‘Coraline’ became Fathom’s highest-grossing release in the US, passing $51 million globally. With strong word of mouth and an A CinemaScore, ‘Wildwood’ could follow a similarly steady path.

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