Laika's 'Wildwood' was the top film in North America on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, earning $2 million and edging past 'Clayface' ($1.9M) and 'You Can See Everything' ($1.8M), according to Exhibitor Relations Co. as cited by comingsoon.net and World of Reel.

World of Reel notes the daily win is a slight bump from the previous Tuesday — an increase that almost never happens for a film in its second week of release.

The stop-motion epic, directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler, adapts the Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis novel about Prue McKeel's quest through an enchanted forest to rescue her kidnapped baby brother.

The surprise is the reversal of the usual trajectory.

'Wildwood' opened October 23, 2026 to a $12 million weekend against what Variety reported as an estimated $100 million budget, landing only in third place — and World of Reel says the "Laika can't sell tickets" takes came fast, as they historically do for the studio.

Instead of collapsing, the film dropped only about 25% in its second weekend to roughly $9 million, comingsoon.net reports. comingsoon.net adds that its domestic total has reached approximately $27.36 million with about $53.26 million worldwide.

Both outlets suggest word of mouth — people telling friends to see it — is driving the climb rather than marketing muscle.

World of Reel argues the film might have legs, calling it a rare PG-13 animated feature with a 130-minute runtime that is slowly finding its audience instead of folding under a hefty budget.

That outlet also reports that Best Animated Feature chatter has already begun, naming 'Wildwood' its Oscar frontrunner whose closest competitor is 'Toy Story 5' — a franchise with three animated Oscars already, giving the original the edge as the fresher choice.

comingsoon.net's voice cast tally — Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Awkwafina, Charlie Day, and Amandla Stenberg — underscores the pedigree behind the original swing.

The financial stakes remain real: World of Reel says the film certainly won't make its $100 million budget back in theaters, but notes Laika is bankrolled by Nike co-founder Phil Knight — Travis Knight's father — so the passion project was funded with "sneaker money" and nobody will lose sleep over losses.

Both outlets frame the crucial question as whether 'Wildwood' can hold its momentum into the upcoming weekend, which comingsoon.net says will determine whether it keeps improving its box office position.

World of Reel bets it will hold, while acknowledging the film is imperfect — a slow start and long runtime — before a second half it calls eye-popping, building to an astounding half-hour battle sequence.