Laika’s ‘Wildwood’ Scores a Strong CinemaScore, Tying ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ for the Studio’s Best Audience Grade

Stop-motion animation is one of the most painstaking crafts in cinema. Every frame is built by hand, every puppet is sculpted and moved a fraction at a time, and a single shot can take days. Laika has spent 2 decades proving the effort is worth it, even when box office results haven’t always matched the acclaim.

Its latest film arrived with a sizable budget, an unusual distribution plan and a perfect critic score. It’s the studio’s first feature since ‘Missing Link’ in 2019, and it opened in theaters on October 23 through Fathom Entertainment rather than a traditional major studio. Whether audiences would turn up was an open question.

Opening-night moviegoers have now given ‘Wildwood‘ a strong A CinemaScore, which matches the best audience grade in Laika’s history. It ties ‘Kubo and the Two Strings,’ which also earned an A, and sits above ‘ParaNorman,’ ‘The Boxtrolls’ and ‘Missing Link,’ each of which scored a B+. For a PG-13 artsy fantasy, it’s a rare show of enthusiasm.

Audiences have spoken!!! #1 And #LaikaStudios did it again, delivering another crowd pleasing ALL TIMER, as moviegoers are ENAMOURED with new PG-13 artsy animation #Wildwood, giving it a STRONG A #CinemaScore, best ever for the studio on par with #KuboAndTheTwoStrings’ A, and above #ParaNorman, #TheBoxTrolls & #MissingLink’s B+

— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) October 24, 2026

The audience grade fits a pattern. ‘Wildwood’ held a perfect Tomatometer score based on 16 reviews after its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11. It later debuted with a 98% Popcornmeter score from more than 100 verified ratings following early fan screenings.

That level of acclaim is unusual for any film, let alone a stop-motion epic. One outlet described the audience score as one of the highest for an animated movie this decade. The A is the latest sign that the reception isn’t limited to critics.

‘Wildwood’ is based on the 2011 novel by Colin Meloy, frontman of The Decemberists, with illustrations by Carson Ellis. It follows Prue McKeel, voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, as she enters a hidden enchanted forest outside Portland to rescue her baby brother from a murder of crows. The voice cast also includes Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Angela Bassett and Mahershala Ali.

Travis Knight directed from a screenplay by Chris Butler, with cinematography by Caleb Deschanel and a score by Dario Marianelli. Knight has described the film as the biggest world the studio has built, and in a press release he called it “the biggest world LAIKA has ever built, and the most personal.”

Ticket sales are more modest than the reception. The film earned about $1 million in Thursday previews and $3.2 million on opening day, putting it on track for an opening weekend of roughly $11 million to $13 million. That’s on par with the debut of ‘Kubo,’ and it would likely place third behind ‘Clayface’ and ‘You Can See Everything.’

Earlier forecasts were more varied. One tracker projected $5 million to $10 million, while others eyed $12 million to $21 million across about 2,718 theaters. A debut above $17.3 million would have beaten ‘The Boxtrolls’ as Laika’s biggest domestic opening, but the current estimates fall short of that.

Laika’s films have never been big box office draws, despite the loyalty they inspire. ‘Missing Link’ opened to $5.9 million and finished with $26.5 million worldwide. ‘Wildwood’ also arrives with a big budget, which means it will need long legs and strong overseas numbers to turn a profit.

That’s where the A CinemaScore could matter most. Word of mouth is often what carries animated films beyond their first weekend, especially those aimed at both families and older fans. A grade this high suggests viewers who see it will recommend it.

The first trailer for LAIKA’s new film ‘WILDWOOD’ has been released. The film follows a girl who enters a magical forbidden forest to rescue her kidnapped baby brother. In theaters on October 23. https://t.co/fwBole0ZHN

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) May 13, 2026

The film’s distribution is also a bet. Laika partnered with Fathom Entertainment for the US release and FilmNation for international sales, a strategy built to preserve the studio’s independence. Fathom has history with the studio, and its 2024 re-release of ‘Coraline’ grossed more than $51 million worldwide.

The film is also reportedly the longest stop-motion animated feature by run time, at 131 minutes. That kind of ambition is rare, and it makes the audience reaction all the more meaningful. If viewers are willing to sit through a long, handcrafted fantasy and walk out giving it an A, it could point toward a second life on home video and streaming.

For now, ‘Wildwood’ has what Laika always hoped for: a film people adore. Whether that translates into a box office hold is the next test.

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