A sleeper box office hit has emerged. The movie in question is the romantic fantasy flick “Wicker,” which stars Alexander Skarsgård (“Godzilla vs. Kong”) and Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”), who was part of one of the most shocking Oscar upsets of all time, we might add. Now, she’s leading one of the fall season’s sneakiest hits.
Directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, “Wicker” opened in theaters on the weekend of October 23, pulling in a solid $5.7 million domestically on a reported $10 million budget. That’s not bad, but it debuted at number five on the charts, and it’s easy for movies like this to slip by pretty quickly. However, it’s managed to hold very well, even as “Godzilla Minus Zero” ruled the box office this past weekend.
As of this writing, “Wicker” has earned $20 million domestically to go with $9 million internationally for a $29 million running total. It hasn’t dropped more than 24% on a single weekend, either, meaning that it still has a lot of gas in the tank. Thus, on top of already being in a good position thanks to its reasonable budget, it’s on track to profit theatrically before VOD and streaming are even factored in.
Sad to say, that’s not the case all too often for smaller, non-franchise movies these days. The film’s backer Black Bear has also had a rough start as a distributor in Hollywood, with its Sydney Sweeney vehicle “Christy” flopping at the box office in high-profile fashion last year. This is the hit Black Bear needed.
“Wicker,” as it were, centers on an ostracized fisherwoman (Colman) who commissions the local basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to weave her a husband (Skarsgård). But when this creation proves unexpectedly extraordinary, jealousy and upheaval threatens their quiet village.
Wicker is the sort of sleeper hit we need more of
It’s good news for the movie business in general when a new distributor can emerge on the scene and find success — especially with Warner Bros. and Paramount having recently merged under one roof. Add in Disney having already absorbed Fox in 2019, and Hollywood continues to shrink. So, as much as Black Bear has struggled in the past, it’s starting to figure things out.
Indeed, it’s been tough sledding for the studio up to this point. Recall that Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal’s action movie “In the Grey” bombed at the box office earlier this year after Lionsgate dumped it and Black Bear picked it up. Matthew McConaughey’s “The Rivals of Amziah King” didn’t pan out for the studio, either. But if it can emulate the success it’s finding with “Wicker” (which is easier said than done, admittedly), there’s reason to be optimistic.
Broadly speaking, both theaters and the Hollywood system could use more sleeper hits like this. 2026 has had a lot of bright spots at the box office, among them “Obsession” and “Project Hail Mary,” but having smaller movies that can thrive is key to a healthy marketplace. Brad Pitt’s survival thriller “Heart of the Beast” also became a sleeper hit while you weren’t looking, but that was an expensive movie with an A-list lead. It’s not quite the same thing.
Instead, “Wicker” feels closer to Disney turning “Barbarian” into a sleeper hit in 2022. That, in turn, paved the way for director Zach Cregger to make hits like “Weapons” and “Resident Evil.” So, yes, we could absolutely use more movies like “Wicker.” At the right place and with the right premise, more original, non-franchise ideas can still thrive.
“Wicker” is in theaters now.
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