The Wild Robot Cruises Past Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis at the Box Office
In an unexpected turn of events, Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed magnum opus Megalopolis has tanked at the box office while The Wild Robot, a critically acclaimed film from DreamWorks Animation has taken the top spot over the weekend.
The Chris Sanders film is a cinematic adaption of Peter Brown’s eponymous best-seller series. It has surpassed expectations by raking in more than $35 million in ticket sales in its opening week. After receiving rave reviews from film critics, the DreamWorks Animation film about a helper robot shipwrecked on an island filled with wild animals has won over the audience.
The film surpassed other recent releases, including Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Demi Moore’s The Substance, and of course, Megalopolis to claim the top spot in its second week. Its current earnings stand at an estimated $44.9 million with cumulative ticket sales worth $53.1 million.
North American and Canadian audiences have thronged the theaters to watch the animated film but Mexico and the UAE have followed closely behind, contributing to the film’s success.
In contrast, Coppola’s Megalopolis which is a Roman epic set in present-day New York has failed to excite the audience. Bankrolled by the famous director himself, the movie reportedly cost $120 million to make but opened to a humble $4 million in ticket sales.
The famed director has maintained that the film is not designed to be a financial success at the box office. Sadly, it has not been a worthy critical success either, receiving mixed reviews from the audience at the Cannes Film Festival. This is Coppola’s first film to hit the theaters in the last 13 years.
Meanwhile, the other highly anticipated release, Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has slipped to the second spot after enjoying a three-week stint at the top.
As far as box office trends are concerned, sequels and family films like Inside Out 2 have resonated the most with the audience. Experts believe that the genre’s raging popularity is a sign of its recovery and business has recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Will The Wild Robot become the next Elemental and go on to become a landmark success in the long run? Only time will tell. But for now, the ticket sales indicate it could very well emerge to be the dark horse among the latest releases.
