‘The Wild Robot’ Opens Up Box Office Run With $1.95 Million in Previews

Universal/DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot” has washed ashore in theaters and has opened its box office run with $1.95 million from 3,000 locations.

The animated film starring Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal will expand to 3,962 theaters today and is projected to earn an opening weekend in the high $20 million range, matching or slightly exceeding the $25 million opening earned by Paramount/Hasbro’s “Transformers One” last weekend.

For Universal and DreamWorks, the hope is that “The Wild Robot” will win over audiences in the long run, as it heads into theaters with critical acclaim and awards buzz. Its Rotten Tomatoes score currently stands at 98%, and while it doesn’t have the immediate name recognition of something like “Inside Out 2” or “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” it could take advantage of the lack of major family competition in the week ahead to leg out all the way through October.

Elsewhere, Lionsgate/American Zoetrope’s “Megalopolis” earned $770,000 from previews as it expands to 1,854 theaters today. Director Francis Ford Coppola famously sold his Sonoma wineries to pay for the film’s $120 million budget and is also footing the bill for the marketing, but he won’t make that back as the film is projected for a $5-7 million opening amid a polarizing 52% Rotten Tomatoes critics score.

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