Weekend Numbers | 09.27 - 09.29, 2024 | Thursday Previews | 1.95M THE WILD ROBOT | 0.77M MEGALOPOLIS

[Skim Beeble]

Wild Robot was incredible and I'm honestly considering seeing it again. I haven't felt that way about an animated movie since the first Spider-Verse. One of those movies that you know is flawed but you give it a 5/5 anyways because fuck it. My audience also loved it, and heard a little girl say it was the best movie she had ever seen. (There were about 50 people last night, but I live in a pretty populated area) 

Edited 2 hours ago by Skim Beeble

[Darth Lehnsherr]

Chris Sanders ranking 

 

Lilo and Stitch

The Wild Robot

How To Train Your Dragon

The Croods (actually underrated IMO)

 

Haven't seen The Call of the Wild yet.

[Skim Beeble]

Could we see an A+ AND F cinemascore tonight?

[Ryan C]

I knew those walk-ups would come for The Wild Robot. Hopefully it can go higher than $35M, but I for sure can't wait to see people who will find a way to turn whatever number it opens to as a massive disappointment because it didn't do $50M+. 

 

I'm sorry, but I genuinely will never understand people who thought this would open to that high of a number. DreamWorks has only had four movies (all in pre-Covid times) that aren't sequels open to $50M+ (Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens, Home, and The Boss Baby). In 2024, I thought they would be lucky to get even half of that, so a $35M opening for The Wild Robot is very impressive by those standards. 

 

In the end, let's just be thankful that this movie is opening to a good number. I thought for a while DreamWorks would never see a movie that wasn't a sequel open to over $20M again after the pandemic, but they have managed to prove me wrong twice with The Bad Guys and now The Wild Robot. 

 

If nothing else, this debut shows that DreamWorks is still a brand that families will trust enough to take their kids to see what they put out (whether a sequel or not). 

[emoviefan]

With a 78m budget a 35 million opening would be good for Wild Robt. Esp with the great WOM. Puss in Boots type legs is very possible. 

[AniNate]

2 minutes ago, Ryan C said:

I'm sorry, but I genuinely will never understand people who thought this would open to that high of a number. DreamWorks has only had four movies (all in pre-Covid times) that aren't sequels open to $50M+ (Kung Fu Panda, Monsters vs. Aliens, Home, and The Boss Baby). In 2024, I thought they would be lucky to get even half of that, so a $35M opening for The Wild Robot is very impressive by those standards. 

 

Why are you being antagonistic about this? It was an aspiration, not an expectation. It had been supported by some of the more optimistic preview comps which yes, ultimately did turn out to be too optimistic. Perhaps it was too much to hope an ecstatic critical reception would bring back a pre-covid level audience for a new IP on opening weekend, but we had no way to know that for sure until the numbers actually bared it out.

 

I do think a "less than half" box office take would have been reasonably disappointing in these circumstances ofc, especially coming off new IPs that did manage more than that like Elemental and IF.

[Skim Beeble]

6 minutes ago, emoviefan said:

With a 78m budget a 35 million opening would be good for Wild Robt. Esp with the great WOM. Puss in Boots type legs is very possible. 

If you're referring to the first one, then yeah it's possible

[Ryan C]

4 minutes ago, AniNate said:

 

Why are you being antagonistic about this? It was an aspiration, not an expectation. It had been supported by some of the more optimistic preview comps which yes, ultimately did turn out to be too optimistic. Perhaps it was too much to hope an ecstatic critical reception would bring back a pre-covid level audience for a new IP on opening weekend, but we had no way to know that for sure until the numbers actually bared it out.

 

I do think a "less than half" box office take would have been reasonably disappointing in these circumstances ofc, especially coming off new IPs that did manage more than that like Elemental and IF.

 

Sorry, I wasn't talking about you specifically. 

 

I just thought that even for being hopeful, some people were putting way too much faith in a non-sequel (that's not even from Pixar or Disney) to open that high. 

[Speedorito]

16 minutes ago, Ryan C said:

If nothing else, this debut shows that DreamWorks is still a brand that families will trust enough to take their kids to see what they put out (whether a sequel or not). 

Didn’t Ruby Gilman and Spirit Untamed both make less than 50M WW? 😂

[Ryan C]

Just now, Speedorito said:

Didn’t Ruby Gilman and Spirit Untamed both make less than 50M WW? 😂

 

Ruby Gillman was barely marketed by Universal and was announced three months before its release. That's not a good example to use. 

 

Also, Spirit Untamed came out in June 2021 and wasn't even really a sequel to the original Spirit. Even if it was, it was never going to break out. 

 

I'm not saying that DreamWorks is the most popular brand in the world, but they are still a brand whose name is appealing enough for families. If not, then how did The Bad Guys make almost $100M domestically and $250M worldwide? 

[Speedorito]

2 minutes ago, Ryan C said:

 

Ruby Gillman was barely marketed by Universal and was announced three months before its release. That's not a good example to use. 

 

Also, Spirit Untamed came out in June 2021 and wasn't even really a sequel to the original Spirit. Even if it was, it was never going to break out. 

 

I'm not saying that DreamWorks is the most popular brand in the world, but they are still a brand whose name is appealing enough for families. If not, then how did The Bad Guys make almost $100M domestically and $250M worldwide? 

Because it’s based off a children’s series as well?

 

DreamWorks doesn’t mean much to people outside of Shrek and its spinoffs. It’s definitely not a huge brand on the level of WDAS, Pixar, or Illumination.

 

And as I said earlier in this thread, their last original (non-Ruby) film was in pre-pandemic 2019 and made less than 200M WW.

[wattage]

1 hour ago, The Wild Eric said:

I cried like 4 or 5 times. I haven't felt so seen in a movie in a long time.

I felt so proud of myself I only cried 2 times out of the many many times I felt it coming lol. I only had one napkin on hand so I needed to hold back. It really made me feel every emotion on the spectrum.

 

I'm going to see it again tomorrow and I feel like it's gonna be the same amount of happy and sad tears even though I know what's coming. 

[AniNate]

I do want to see it again myself, think I might've had unrealistic tonal expectations and will enjoy it better on a second viewing

[wattage]

51 minutes ago, Skim Beeble said:

Could we see an A+ AND F cinemascore tonight?

It would be a historic night if that happened. The epic highs and lows of CS

 

1 hour ago, Skim Beeble said:

Wild Robot was incredible and I'm honestly considering seeing it again. I haven't felt that way about an animated movie since the first Spider-Verse. One of those movies that you know is flawed but you give it a 5/5 anyways because fuck it. My audience also loved it, and heard a little girl say it was the best movie she had ever seen. (There were about 50 people last night, but I live in a pretty populated area) 

The kids in my audience were having a great time, lots of laughter, heard some sniffling behind me and it was a mom and her daughter who kept asking if they could watch it again even before the movie ended. Always a treat to watch films with kids who are enjoying themselves. 

[AniNate]

I also think it might be worth considering that Inside Out 2 released on D+ this weekend. When such a huge blockbuster behemoth drops on a no added fee streaming service, it probably does become an easy home family entertainment choice and limits how much business a new theatrical family entry can do over the weekend. 

 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by AniNate

[wattage]

15 minutes ago, AniNate said:

I do want to see it again myself, think I might've had unrealistic tonal expectations and will enjoy it better on a second viewing

Curious about what tone you were expecting, I'd like to discuss. I know I had to adjust when the second trailer came out from a more serious first act of Wall-E exploration of the wild with no dialogue piece to more of a finding your place and identity/ parental exploration piece with some community building in there. 

 

Idk if this is a spoiler thread discussion or not? Its just tone but i know some people don't like discussing that either. 

[AniNate]

6 minutes ago, wattage said:

Curious about what tone you were expecting, I'd like to discuss. I know I had to adjust when the second trailer came out from a more serious first act of Wall-E exploration of the wild with no dialogue piece to more of a finding your place and identity/ parental exploration piece with some community building in there. 

 

Idk if this is a spoiler thread discussion or not? Its just tone but i know some people don't like discussing that either. 

 

I more or less expressed my feelings in the spoiler thread. I did listen to the audiobook so that may have colored my initial impression.

[Flopped]

Someone pls feed me Substance Friday # 

[emoviefan]

1 hour ago, Skim Beeble said:

If you're referring to the first one, then yeah it's possible

Yeah a PIB The Last Wish IM would be crazy off a 35 opening and non holiday release time.

[DAJK]

Anecdotal, and I was too high last night (perhaps Pacific NW is simply overperforming for this) but Wild Robot is having some excellent walkups tonight.

 

For context, Tranaformers one ended Friday at my local with 217 tickets sold. Wild Robot is looking to finish with 385-395.