Groundbreaking Animated Film Surpasses Expectations, Sweeps Box Office with Spectacular Opening

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is experiencing a major setback at the box office this weekend. The animated film, which premiered on June 30 alongside Indiana Jones Dial of Destiny, features Lana Condor as the lead character, a teenage girl who discovers her lineage as a kraken warrior queen with an underwater throne. The talented voice cast includes Toni Collette, Annie Murphy, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Jaboukie Young-White, Christine Baranski, and Jane Fonda.

According to Deadline, the initial weekend for Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken has been a complete disaster. The movie debuted at No. 6 in the domestic box office, only generating $5.2 million. This marks the worst opening weekend for DreamWorks Animation in its 28-year history. The film's worldwide performance is slightly better, with a total revenue of $12.8 million. However, this amount only covers 18 percent of the massive $70 million budget.

Ruby Gillman Proves Not Every 2023 Animated Movie is a Surefire Hit

Voice of Lana Condor in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

At a time when American animation seems unstoppable in its success, Ruby Gillman enters the scene. The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has just surpassed $600 million in the global box office and remains at No. 2 on the domestic charts, a full month after its release. Another film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, became the 17th highest-grossing movie of all time just this April.

While Ruby Gillman may not have the same franchise appeal as these two blockbusters, it does have a cast filled with actors who have gained recognition from their recent projects. Feldman recently starred in the Jennifer Lawrence-led comedy No Hard Feelings, Fonda appeared in both 80 for Brady and Book Club: The Next Chapter earlier this year, and Murphy and Young-White co-starred in the recent Black Mirror season 6 episode "Joan is Awful."

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken marks the end of DreamWorks' recent successful run, which encompassed hits like The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The latter film amassed nearly $500 million in global box office revenue. While it is unclear what precisely contributed to the underwhelming reception of this new movie, the presence of Spider-Verse's competition and Ruby's lackluster 65 percent Rotten Tomatoes score likely played a role.