White Birda continuation of the extremely successful Film with Julia Roberts from 2017 Wonderhas been relatively well received by critics since its release in October 2024. However, with all the positives associated with the film, White Bird falls short of the original in two key respects. Given Wondernear-universal popularity, it was likely that any sequel would struggle to match its influence. Still, the contrast between the two films' releases seems particularly stark.
At the time of writing
Wonder
can be streamed on Apple TV+.
Whereas Wonder focusing on the coming-of-age story of Auggie Pullman (played by Jacob Tremblay) and the complex family dynamics affecting his parents (Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson), White Bird focuses on other characters in the story. Instead of returning to Auggie's journey, the sequel revolves around Julian Albans – an antagonistic presence in the first film – exploring two different time periods as Julian's grandmother tells a story from the 1940s. This represents a major shift in the narrative, and perhaps explains why White Bird it didn't work Wonder in two important ways.
Why are White Bird's ticket sales over $300 million lower than Wonder's?
The original film grossed $315 million
The most noticeable difference between the two films is their financial performance. While the 2017 original grossed $315 million at the global box office, White Bird it cost just over $6.3 million – despite the films' almost identical budgets. Given the international success of the first film, this return may be surprising. However, closer examination reveals that there are clear reasons for this White Bird it could always fail.
|
Movie |
Budget |
Cash register |
|---|---|---|
|
Wonder |
20 million dollars |
$315 million |
|
White Bird |
20 million dollars |
$6.3 million |
First, the sequel lacks the star power of the original. Although Helen Mirren is a well-known actress, she cannot boast of the box office popularity of Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. The second issue is history. Instead of following the same characters that proved so popular in Wonder, White Bird it works more like a spinoffprioritizing character stories that were not previously popular parts of the narrative. For anyone who knows Wonderstory, the decision to focus on the tyrant from the previous film.
Related
Where to watch White Bird: showtimes and broadcast status
After many delays, White Bird: A Wonder Story has finally arrived and there are options for where to watch the film in theaters or on a streaming platform.
The film also features an unusual narrative approach. White Bird is much less conventional than Wondertelling two different stories over 80 years. For viewers who are already skeptical of character-driven focus, this structure may seem too unconventional and stray too far from what has worked so well in Wonder.
White Bird's Rotten Tomatoes Score vs. Wonder's Score: Why Critics Like It Less
It was close, but Wonder clearly won
Both films in the series performed quite well with critics. Whereas Wonder according to the review aggregator, it received 85% positive reviews Rotten Tomatoes, White Bird scored a less impressive but still noteworthy 72%. This 13% discrepancy is due to several important differences between the projects – particularly in their tone.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Wonder |
85% |
88% |
|
White Bird |
72% |
99% |
Where Wonder successfully negotiated the difficult balance between sentimentality and credible emotions, some critics thought so White Bird it got a little too fancy in places. In a mixed review for Jerusalem Post Officecritic Hannah Brown lamented the film “moments of heavy kitsch“ – points to the problems other critics had with the film. The fact that White Bird deals with the complex subject of the Holocaust, which means that such excessive sentimentality feels extremely out of place in a way that it did not Wonder – perhaps explaining the discrepancy in critical scores.
White Bird beat Wonder's audience score on Rotten Tomatoes
It has a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes
Perhaps surprisingly, White Bird beat Wonder in one key area – his Rotten Tomatoes audience score. Where Wonder still maintains an impressive 88%, White Bird is at an almost perfect level of 99%, which indicates an extremely positive reaction from viewers who actually saw the film. The key to this difference may actually lie in the feature itself, which some critics take issue with.
While critics have consistently proven cynical when it comes to projects that emphasize sentiment (negative critical ratings for films like Notebook is a prime example of this), these purposefully emotive stories often resonate with audiences. It's not unusual for similar projects to achieve noticeably higher viewership numbers (although 99% is exceptional by any measure). Although it's clear White Bird failed to find a huge audience, viewers who have seen the film seem to have been impressed.
- Director
- Mark Forster
- Release date
- October 4, 2024
- To throw
- Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, Helena Mirren Jo Stone-Fewings, Patsy Ferran, Stuart McQuarrie, Olivia Ross, Ishai Golan, Nadine Leon Gobet, John Bubniak, Jim High, Philip Lenkowsky, James Beaumont, Teagan Stark, Priya Ghotane, Yelisey Kazakevich, Jem Matthews, Sam Talacko, Timon McLean, Selma Kaymakci, Lily Huong Mac, Adam Bakule, Anise Napoleao dos Reis, Jordan Cramond, Laura Hudečková
- Execution time
- 121 minutes
