‘Wildwood’ Passes a Global Box Office Milestone, but Laika’s Most Ambitious Film Faces a Steep Climb

Laika has spent years building a reputation for handcrafted stop-motion films that critics love. Every one of the Oregon studio’s 5 previous features earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, though the box office has rarely matched that acclaim.

‘Wildwood’ is the studio’s biggest bet yet. Directed by Laika president and CEO Travis Knight and adapted from Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis’ novel, the film follows a teen girl who enters an enchanted forest to save her baby brother. It spent 15 years in development and runs 131 minutes, making it the longest stop-motion film ever made.

The film has now reached a new box office mark. According to The Hollywood Handle, ‘Wildwood’ has crossed $35 million at the global box office against a reported $100 million budget.

Deadline puts the total at $35.8 million, with about $25 million from domestic theaters and $10 million from overseas. That’s already more than the full global run of ‘Missing Link’, which finished with $26.5 million.

Still, the milestone comes with a downside. Several outlets noted that ‘Wildwood’ is now Laika’s 2nd-lowest-grossing film, and with marketing costs on top of its budget, it’s unlikely to break even in theaters.

‘WILDWOOD’ crossed $35M at the global box office. Budget was $100M. https://t.co/Y2X30kjTyn

— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) November 1, 2026

The film opened on October 23 in third place with about $12.3 million domestically, beating pre-release projections of $6 million to $8 million. Over Halloween weekend, it dropped 39% to an estimated $7.5 million, again finishing third behind ‘You Can See Everything’ and ‘Clayface’.

Internationally, it has expanded into 47 countries, with more than 2 dozen markets still to open. The film debuted at No. 1 in Sweden and has earned $3.7 million in the UK. If box office is a challenge, reception certainly isn’t. ‘Wildwood’ holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences gave it an “A” CinemaScore.

The film has also generated awards buzz, with many fans calling it the studio’s finest work. Peyton Elizabeth Lee stars as Prue McKeel alongside Jacob Tremblay and Carey Mulligan, with a voice cast that also includes Angela Bassett, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Charlie Day and Tom Waits.

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

Laika’s financial situation is unusual for an animation studio. Fortune pointed out that the company is privately held and backed by Nike co-founder Phil Knight, Travis Knight’s father, who became majority owner of its predecessor studio in 2002.

That support allows the studio to make ambitious films with less financial pressure. Fortune noted that stop-motion rarely makes economic sense, and that by a common rule of thumb, only ‘Coraline’, helped by its 2024 re-release, has likely cleared its break-even point.

The budget of ‘Wildwood’ is also high compared with other recent animated releases. Fortune reported that Illumination’s ‘Minions & Monsters’ cost about $85 million, while DreamWorks’ ‘Forgotten Island’ cost $80 million.

A new hero joins the LAIKA family! Get your tickets to experience Prue’s adventure in theatres October 23. #Wildwood #Coraline https://t.co/c1xLYxa1eV

— LAIKA (@LAIKAStudios) October 20, 2026

Laika isn’t slowing down. The studio is developing more animated projects, including ‘Piranesi’, which Travis Knight will direct, and ‘The Night Gardener’, while also expanding into live-action.

For ‘Wildwood’, strong reviews, international rollouts, and a possible awards run could help extend its life well beyond theaters. Home entertainment may also give audiences who missed it a chance to discover one of the year’s most acclaimed animated films.

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