Overview of Box Office Performance

DreamWorks Animation and Universal's new release, *The Wild Robot*, has made a striking entrance at the box office, raking in approximately $1.95 million from its 2 PM screenings across 3,000 theaters. With a strong opening night performance, the animated film—featuring the voice of Lupita Nyong'o—looks poised to dominate the weekend box office, projecting over $20 million in its initial run.

This initial preview figure surpasses the opening night earnings of other recent animated hits. Notably, it exceeds *Trolls Band Together*, which had a $1.3 million preview and opened with $30 million, and *The Bad Guys*, which earned $1.15 million in previews, eventually landing at $23.9 million for its opening weekend.

Audience Feedback and Demographics

Audience feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with *The Wild Robot* receiving a stellar 5-star rating from general audiences, 4.5 stars from parents, and a perfect 5-star score from children under 12. The demographic breakdown shows a strong turnout of 72% general audiences, 18% parents, and 10% children, with a notable majority of the audience being male at 53%. Interestingly, moms outnumbered dads in attendance, and girls made up 53% of the children under 12.

The film is based on Peter Brown's award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller and comes with a production budget of $78 million before additional marketing costs.

Struggles of *Megalopolis*

In stark contrast, Lionsgate's release of Francis Ford Coppola's ambitious project, *Megalopolis*, struggled out of the gate, grossing only $770,000 including a live IMAX event that took place on Monday. This film was self-financed at a hefty budget of $120 million. Early estimates suggest *Megalopolis* could open between $5 million to $7 million, hinting at a significant loss for the production, with critical reception not looking favorable—boasting a mere 0.5-star rating and a 45% positive review score on PostTrak.

Despite the financial outlook, there is a silver lining for Coppola, who aims to fulfill his cinematic dream with this project rather than having it relegated to streaming platforms. Although Lionsgate serves only as the distributor and is not heavily invested in the financial outcome, they are expected to collect a distribution fee between $3 million and $5 million, irrespective of the film's performance.

Audience Composition for *Megalopolis*

In terms of audience composition for *Megalopolis*, men accounted for 69% of ticket sales, and the young demographic under 25 made up 64% of the audience. However, the most promising ratings emerged from women over 25, albeit only half of that demographic giving it a favorable grade. Critics are currently divided, with *Megalopolis* holding a 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Other Box Office Highlights

Meanwhile, other films are also making waves at the box office. Warner Bros.' *Beetlejuice* has now reached a cumulative total of $234 million after only three weeks, while Paramount's *Transformers One* has made $29.8 million so far. Blumhouse and Universal's *Speak No Evil* is wrapping up its second weekend with an estimated total of $23.8 million.

Impact of Hurricane Helene

As weather conditions worsen with Hurricane Helene impacting the region—leaving over 4 million homes and businesses without power in places like South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia—box office attendance over the weekend remains uncertain. Will the storm disrupt showtimes and attendance, or can *The Wild Robot* maintain its momentum in the face of impending weather challenges? Stay tuned for updates!