Laika Returns to Box Office With PG-13 Stop-Motion Epic Wildwood

The Portland, Oregon-based animation studio Laika released its sixth stop-motion animated feature, Wildwood, over the weekend. According to IndieWire, the film opened to $12.2 million at the domestic box office, while the Los Angeles Times reported an estimated $11.6 million debut. The Los Angeles Times noted that the film finished in third place at the domestic box office. [1][2]

Directed by Travis Knight, Wildwood is the studio's first feature film release in seven years. IndieWire reported that the opening box office haul is on par with the debut of Laika's previous film Kubo and the Two Strings. The Los Angeles Times reported that the original feature received a rare PG-13 rating for an animated release. [1][2]

According to the Los Angeles Times, the top spot at the domestic box office went to DC Studio's body horror feature Clayface, which opened with $24 million. The outlet noted that the performance of Wildwood serves as a test of audience appetite for mature, PG-13 animated films in a market where animated movie audiences are proving more diverse than expected. [2]