Portland Crowds Sell Out ‘Wildwood’ Despite Third-Place Opening
Laika’s “Wildwood” opened third nationally, but Portland independent theaters reported packed screenings and advance sellouts. At the Hollywood Theatre, every…
Portland theaters sold out showings of “Wildwood” even as the film opened third at the box office nationally. The latest Laika stop-motion feature is set in Portland, and independent cinemas across the city reported crowds through its opening weekend.
At McMenamins St. Johns Theater & Pub, the film became the venue’s biggest movie of the year, according to head manager Michael Pontius. The 75-capacity theater sold out its noon, 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. screenings on Friday and Saturday, with some empty seats at the later 10:15 p.m. showings.
Portland setting drew local audiences
The film’s connection to the city was hard to miss. The neon White Stag sign appeared in its trailer, while oversized crow statues were placed around downtown. Voodoo Doughnut also created a themed treat, and the Portland Book Festival lineup featured “Wildwood” author Colin Meloy as a headliner.
North Portland has a particularly close link to the story: the St. Johns neighborhood features heavily as the home of the film’s protagonist. The nearby St. Johns Bridge takes on a ghostly appearance in the movie, giving the local setting an added pull for audiences watching in the neighborhood itself.
“For us, it was actually the biggest movie of the year,” Pontius said, adding that it was probably the venue’s biggest in the eight years he had worked there. He said tickets began selling out several weeks in advance, which was “not typical” for the theater.
St. Johns Twin Cinemas, another historic two-screen venue nearby, also packed its theaters for a full weekend of screenings. The crowds were not limited to the neighborhood.
Independent cinemas report sellouts
The Hollywood Theatre hosted close to a dozen showings across opening weekend, including an advanced screening during the week, five digital screenings and five in 35mm. Every screening sold out, marketing specialist Jenny Lee wrote in an email. The theater had also sold out all showings through the end of October, except for two Halloween time slots.
At OMSI, the 300-seat Empirical Theater sold out all seven weekend shows, said Russell Repp, the museum’s vice president of marketing. Repp said that level of demand was typical for blockbusters such as “The Odyssey,” which he described as the theater’s top-performing film ever. He said the same response does not automatically follow for animated releases.
“If we were just opening a first-run animated film, let’s say a Pixar film or another major studio,” Repp said, “the reality is it probably wouldn’t be sold out.”
The Portland results offer a striking local contrast with the film’s national opening. For independent theaters, the draw was not simply that “Wildwood” is animated: the story’s recognizable streets and landmarks gave local audiences a reason to choose a nearby cinema, including venues woven into the film’s setting. That connection translated into advance ticket demand and sold-out screenings across several parts of the city.
For McMenamins St. Johns, Pontius credited the venue’s own character as part of the appeal. “The charm that St. Johns, and specifically our pub, has, people know about it,” he said. “So, they’re like, ‘If we’re going to watch a Portland-based movie, we’re either going to watch it at St. Johns McMenamins or at the Twin Cinemas.’”
Source: oregonlive.com
