Published: November 4, 2024
Photo from THE WILD ROBOT’s Instagram
The enormous success of WILD ROBOT proves this
By Movieguide® Contributor
Universal’s WILD ROBOT achieved massive success at the box office, a trend the studio is familiar with.
The film opened its first week with $35 million, and totals now stand at $111 million domestically and $232 million worldwide after four weeks in theaters, Variety reported.
READ MORE: HOW WILD ROBOT MAKES ‘SURPRISES AND UNKNOWNS’ OF PARENTING RELATABLE
“The epic adventure follows the journey of a robot – ROZZUM Unit 7134, ‘Roz’ for short – who is shipwrecked on a deserted island and must learn to adapt to the harsh environment, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island. island and the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling,” Universal’s synopsis reads.
Movieguide® praised the portrayal of ‘motherly love’.
WILD ROBOT is a very special film. It wonderfully affirms motherly love. Roz the robot also has clear Christological, allegorical elements. She teaches the animals to love each other and clearly dies and seems to come back to life. That said, her main characteristic is learning to overcome her cold, pre-programmed nature to develop a loving heart. When the company tries to reprogram her, the heart takes over, but that’s not the end of the story. There are many animated action violence situations in WILD ROBOT, including animals eating each other to survive. However, none of these situations are cruel or violent in a scary, disturbing way. That’s why MOVIEGUIDE® recommends WILD ROBOT for children aged six and over. Adults will love this story too, as long as they have a heart.
READ MORE: THE WILD ROBOT REVIEW
Other Universal films including PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, MIGRATION, THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE and more have all performed well at the box office in recent years.
“It starts and ends with the content. The common thread is that these are quality films,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution.
He’s right. Content is key, and all of these films respect family-friendly values. In fact, THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE and PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH both won the Movieguide® Teddy Bear Awards®.
Such as Movieguide®’s 2023 report to the entertainment industry explains“family-friendly films that reflect strong Christian, redemptive, moral, biblical, traditional or conservative principles and values tend to do significantly better at the box office in the United States and Canada than films that do not have as strong content.”
“…it’s the quality of the product,” repeated Exhibitor Relations Analyst Jeff Bock. “Universal has consistently delivered animated goods for decades. That stability has given them a steady audience that previously only Disney’s Pixar could boast.”
If Universal wants to continue seeing success at the box office, the studio must continue to promote family-friendly stories.