Laika's stop-motion fantasy Wildwood opened to about $12.2 million at the U.S. box office, finishing third over the Oct. 23-25 weekend, while its director says AI can't replace what goes into making it.
Wildwood landed behind DC's Clayface and the documentary You Can See Everything. That is nearly double the $5.9 million opening of Laika's last film, Missing Link, in 2019, and it beat some analysts' forecasts. It reportedly cost around $100 million, so it has a long way to go to turn a profit. It earned an A CinemaScore, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What is it about? A teenage girl, voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, travels into an enchanted forest to rescue her baby brother. It is rated PG-13 and runs just over two hours. It is Laika's first film in seven years.
Director Travis Knight told Variety he is not embracing AI at all, calling stop-motion "humanity at its finest," built on creativity, care and devotion. He added that a computer "has never felt anything." The film took 16 years to make, he said.
Knight has also said audiences yearn for work that someone has "cared into existence."
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