Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-in-the-making, self-financed epic *Megalopolis* flopped with moviegoers, while the acclaimed DreamWorks Animation family film *The Wild Robot* soared to No. 1 at the weekend box office.
*The Wild Robot*, Chris Sanders’ adaptation of Peter Brown’s bestseller, outperformed expectations to launch with a remarkable $35 million in ticket sales in U.S. and Canada theatres, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
The buzz around *The Wild Robot* was palpable, driven by rave reviews from critics who lauded the heartwarming tale of a shipwrecked robot who raises an orphan gosling. Audience reception echoed this sentiment, as the film earned an A CinemaScore. The success positions *The Wild Robot* for a likely extended and lucrative run under the Universal Pictures banner.
Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, expressed optimism about the film’s prospects, suggesting that it “may take a page from the *Elemental* playbook by opening to a respectable box office and then looking towards long-term playability.” Pixar’s *Elemental*, which, like *The Wild Robot*, was not a sequel, debuted with a modest $30 million but eventually grossed nearly $500 million worldwide.
The box office has been particularly buoyed by family movies this year, led by the immense success of *Inside Out 2*. David A. Gross, a seasoned film consultant and newsletter publisher for Franchise Entertainment, projected that the family movie genre could reach $6 billion globally in 2024—signals of a robust recovery to pre-pandemic levels.
Contrasting sharply with *The Wild Robot*’s success, Coppola’s *Megalopolis* struggled mightily, earning just $4 million in its debut. The film, an ambitious vision of a Roman epic set in modern-day New York, had been a passion project for Coppola, who began developing it in the late 1970s. Despite its unfortunate financial performance, from its $120 million budget, Coppola emphasized that monetary gain was never his chief concern. “Everyone’s so worried about money,” Coppola remarked in an interview with The Associated Press prior to the film’s release. “I say: Give me less money and give me more friends.”
The film faced a rocky road even before its release. Its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival resulted in mixed critical reviews, and the audience response was equally tepid, culminating in a D+ CinemaScore. Despite being backed by stars such as Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Aubrey Plaza, and showing in around 200 IMAX locations—accounting for $1.8 million of its total gross—the film found little traction with broader audiences.
After Cannes, many studios passed on the opportunity to distribute *Megalopolis*, but Lionsgate ultimately took on the task, albeit for a fee. Coppola also shouldered most of the film’s $15 million in marketing costs. Yet, despite the immense financial and personal investment, the film fell short of expectations.
Interestingly, *Megalopolis* wasn’t the only film to falter at the weekend box office. Tim Burton’s *Beetlejuice Beetlejuice*, which had enjoyed three weeks atop the box office, slid to second place with $16 million in its fourth weekend. Starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, the Warner Bros.
. sequel to the 1988 *Beetlejuice* has nonetheless accumulated a strong $250 million domestically in its month-long run.
In third place, *Transformers One*, a prequel in the popular franchise featuring Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, garnered $9.3 million in its second weekend. The Paramount release had also faced a lower-than-expected debut.
*Megalopolis* even trailed behind the Indian Telugu-language action film *Devara: Part 1*, which raked in $5.1 million, clinching fourth place.
Additionally, Jason Reitman’s *Saturday Night*, a dramatization of the iconic sketch-comedy show’s debut episode in 1975, premiered in five theatres across New York and Los Angeles. It collected $265,000, offering a strong $53,000 per-theatre average, and looks set for a nationwide release in two weeks.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore, are as follows:
1. *The Wild Robot*: $35 million
2. *Beetlejuice Beetlejuice*: $16 million
3. *Transformers One*: $9.3 million
4. *Devara: Part 1*: $5.1 million
5. *Speak No Evil*: $4.3 million
6. *Megalopolis*: $4 million
7. *Deadpool & Wolverine*: $2.7 million
8. *My Old Ass*: $2.2 million
9. *Never Let Go*: $2.2 million
10. *The Substance*: $1.8 million
The figures provide a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of the film industry, where even highly anticipated projects can either sink or soar based on a delicate alchemy of public reception, critical acclaim, and box office performance.
