The anti-Skydance: How a Nike billionaire’s backing lets Laika spend a reported $100 million on ‘Wildwood’

Laika’s latest stop-motion feature, Wildwood, has delivered a solid early performance for the Oregon animation studio, opening in third place at the domestic box office and maintaining that position through Halloween weekend.

The film debuted on Oct. 23 with approximately $12.3 million in domestic ticket sales. After its first weekend, it remained behind A24’s You Can See Everything, a documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, and DC Studios’ Clayface.

A steady second weekend

Wildwood earned an estimated $7.5 million over Halloween weekend, a decline of 39% from its opening frame. That brought the film’s domestic total to $25.9 million, according to figures cited by the Associated Press.

The second-weekend hold gives Laika’s sixth feature a measured start rather than a sharp early drop. The result is notable for a film made entirely through stop-motion animation, the technique used across the studio’s feature slate.

Laika’s latest feature

Laika is known for films including Coraline and ParaNorman. Wildwood is directed by Travis Knight, the company’s president and chief executive officer.

Its performance will continue to be tracked as the film competes with major studio releases and other theatrical titles. For now, its domestic run has combined a third-place opening with a 39% second-weekend decline and nearly $26 million in domestic sales.