Box Office: ‘The Wild Robot’ Beats ‘Megalopolis’ in Previews

Box Office: ‘The Wild Robot’ Beats ‘Megalopolis’ in Previews

As a longtime animation enthusiast who grew up watching DreamWorks classics like “How to Train Your Dragon” and “The Croods,” I can hardly contain my excitement for “The Wild Robot.” The prospect of a new family-friendly animated film with such an intriguing premise, directed by the talented Chris Sanders, is truly enticing.


In North America, the DreamWorks Animation and Universal’s film adaptation of “The Wild Robot” kicked off its box office journey with a strong opening of $1.95 million in Thursday previews. This is a promising start for an animated family movie. The story revolves around a robot named ROZ, who finds an unlikely friendship with a gosling and various other animals after being stranded on a deserted island, as depicted in Peter Brown’s cherished best-selling book.

The highly praised computer-generated animation movie is predicted to debut domestically with around $24 million, but some optimistic analysts think it could surpass $30 million. However, the filmmakers are trying to manage expectations by suggesting over $20 million, considering that last weekend’s Transformers One, another animated PG-rated movie, only managed a $24.6 million domestic opening, falling short of predictions by $5 million.

Exploring the link between the wilderness and technology, the film “The Wild Robot” is penned and helmed by Academy Award nominee Chris Sanders, renowned for his work in “How to Train Your Dragon” and “The Croods”. The star-studded voice cast is spearheaded by Lupita Nyong’o, Kit Connor, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, and Stephanie Hsu. Joining them are Mark Hamill, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames as well.

The movie “Wild Robot” is likely to outperform “Transformers One,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” and Francis Ford Coppola’s film “Megalopolis” in weekend box office sales, given its anticipated success. However, the financial prospects for “Megalopolis” are grim, as it is estimated to earn between $5 million and $7 million at the box office, which would be a significant loss considering it cost around $120 million to produce before marketing expenses.

The film earned $770,000 in previews held Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Despite Francis Ford Coppola’s esteemed reputation, major Hollywood studios refused to back or distribute the film Megalopolis in North America following a preliminary screening before its global debut at the Cannes Film Festival, which received generally mediocre reviews. The cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, and Shia LaBeouf for Coppola’s modern-day reinterpretation of the Roman Empire set on the verge of collapse in New York City.

In the end, Lionsgate agreed to distribute the film domestically, however they won’t be responsible for covering distribution or marketing expenses. Additionally, Imax has shown support for Coppola as he utilized Imax-approved cameras for certain parts of the movie. The film, “Megalopolis,” is set to play in approximately 200 Imax theaters, which accounts for around half of their total number, during specific screenings.

At a recent screening of Megalopolis during the New York Film Festival, Coppola drew parallels between the film’s narrative and the present political climate in the United States, implying that the 2024 presidential election could echo Rome’s decline. This comparison was broadcasted to 65 cinemas throughout the U.S. and Canada via Imax technology.

As a gamer, if I’m more inclined to side with Coppola’s critique of Donald Trump, I can opt for an alternative and back “Defending Trump,” the latest documentary from conservative commentator and Trump supporter Dinesh D’Souza. This film delves into the challenges that Trump faces in his mission to regain the Oval Office as the Republican presidential nominee.

The movie produced by D’Souza, collaboratively made with Trump who has been actively promoting it, is projected to screen in approximately 500 to 700 theaters across the country. In North America, faith-based distributor SDG, known for Am I Racist?, will be handling the release of Vindicating Trump. Notable moments include D’Souza interviewing Trump after a bullet narrowly missed him during an assassination attempt.

In four cinemas located in both New York City and Los Angeles, Sony debuts Jason Reitman’s film titled “Saturday Night“, a heartfelt tribute to the popular NBC comedy series, “Saturday Night Live“.

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2024-09-27 19:25