They’re going to be studying this one for a while. LAIKA’s Coraline, which was originally released in 2009 to only moderate success, is breaking all sorts of records in its 15th anniversary re-release. The stop-motion film, directed by genre icon Henry Selick and based on a book by Neil Gaiman, was re-issued in theaters a couple of weeks ago, and has since generated nearly $50 million worldwide, pushing past milestones that it would’ve only dreamed of in its original run.
With $113 million domestically and another $57 million from overseas markets, the film’s cumulative global gross now stands at an excellent $170 million. For context, Coraline concluded its original 2009 run with $75 million domestically and $124 million worldwide, against a reported budget of $60 million. The film’s re-release numbers alone have contributed to over $45 million in global grosses. By comparison, the recent 25th anniversary re-release of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace generated around $13 million domestically; the film’s 2012 3D re-release tapped out with $39 million, a number that the Coraline re-release will pass in a few days. In fact, Coraline‘s re-release numbers alone amount to over twice what the recent film Borderlands grossed a few weeks ago.
The year 2024 has been packed with re-issues like this — in addition to Coraline and The Phantom Menace, the millennial hits The Mummy and Shrek 2 were also re-launched in theaters, as were the eight live-action Spider-Man movies, and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But it’s safe to say that none of those titles have worked as well as Coraline. The movie opened to positive reviews upon its original release, and currently sits at a “fresh” 91% score on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. It also went on to be nominated at the Academy Awards in the Best Animated Feature category.
The Gothic Fantasy Film Set the Tone for LAIKA’s Future Works
Coraline follows the ominous adventures of a young girl who discovers a creepy dimension hidden in the recesses of her new home. The film’s successful run helped LAIKA establish itself as an artisanal alternative to the biggest animation houses of that era — Pixar, DreamWorks, and Blue Sky. The studio garnered more acclaim and commercial success in the subsequent years, with films such as ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link. LAIKA will return after a gap of six years with Wildwood, which is set for a 2025 release.
Selick last directed the similarly-toned stop-motion film Wendell & Wild, which was released on Netflix a couple of years ago. He’s said to be teaming up with Gaiman for another project. Featuring the voices of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, and Dawn French, Coraline is playing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
