In a surprising turn at the North American box office, DreamWorks Animation's The Wild Robot is projected to lead the weekend, following a solid $1.95 million in Thursday previews. Based on Peter Brown's bestselling book, the film tells the story of a robot named ROZ who forms an unlikely bond with a gosling and other creatures on a deserted island.
Directed by Oscar-nominee Chris Sanders, known for How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods, The Wild Robot is expected to open in the $24 million range, with some optimistic forecasts suggesting it could surpass $30 million. This comes after the recent release of Transformers One, which debuted at $24.6 million but fell short of expectations.
Alongside The Wild Robot, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis are also vying for attention, although the latter is projected to earn only $5 to $7 million—a significant loss given its $120 million budget. Coppola's film, which reimagines the Roman Empire in modern-day New York, has received lukewarm reviews since its Cannes premiere.
As the box office landscape shifts, The Wild Robot stands poised to capture family audiences, highlighting the ongoing evolution of animated storytelling in cinema.