Universal/DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot” is showing signs of a lengthy run at the box office, riding significant walk-up traffic to an estimated $35 million opening from 3,982 theaters.
Projections for the Chris Sanders animated film were in the $24-30 million range, with Universal keeping its projections to a more conservative $20 million-plus while exhibitor sources told TheWrap they held out hope that the film could clear $30 million.
Those hopes are being realized as awareness for “The Wild Robot” is seeing a late surge in audience awareness amid its widespread critical acclaim. With this start and a 98% Rotten Tomatoes and A Cinemascore grade in its back pocket, this film has all it needs to leg out through an October where no major family film competition is set to come out.
But the success of “The Wild Robot” is coming partly at the expense of Paramount/Hasbro’s “Transformers One,” which is seeing a steep 63% drop from its $25 million opening weekend to gross just $9 million in this frame. That puts the animated origin film in third place on the charts behind the fourth weekend of Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which is adding $16 million in this frame as it reaches the $250 million domestic mark.
“Transformers One,” on the other hand, is set for a domestic total of just $39 million after two weekends, 36% behind the $61.1 million grossed by fellow Paramount release “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” after 10 days in U.S. theaters.
The hope for theaters and Paramount was that “The Wild Robot” would appeal more to families while “Transformers One” would pull in general audiences. Instead, it is likely that the strong buzz for visual splendor and emotional narrative of “The Wild Robot,” combined with the staying power of the fun spooks of “Beetlejuice 2,” is leaving “Transformers One” getting squeezed out in the fight for moviegoers’ attention.
Farther down the charts, Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” is close to opening outside the top 5, with industry estimates projecting a $4 million launch from 1,854 theaters. Released by Lionsgate via a distribution-only deal, the film is opening below the $6.1 million opening of the Telugu action film “Devara Pt. 1” on 1,054 screens and the $4.2 million third weekend of Universal/Blumhouse’s “Speak No Evil.”
“Megalopolis” has polarized critics since its Cannes premiere with a 49% Rotten Tomatoes score, and while the film will surely build a cult following among Coppola’s fans, opening night moviegoers are largely panning it with a D+ grade on CinemaScore.
