Warner Bros.' animated 'Cat in the Hat' opens behind forecasts as critics split

Warner Bros.' animated adaptation of "The Cat in the Hat" opened in North American theaters on Friday behind the low end of its studio's pre-release expectations, as critics delivered a mixed verdict on the first feature from the newly relaunched Warner Bros. Pictures Animation label. The film, voiced by Bill Hader in the title role, took in $6 million on its opening day across 4,003 theaters, according to the daily domestic box office chart published by The Numbers, placing it second for the day behind the Japanese-language release "Godzilla Minus Zero," which earned $14.5 million from 3,254 locations.

The studio had already lowered its sights for the film in the days before release. TheWrap reported on Nov. 4 that industry tracking had settled on a $20 million to $22 million domestic opening weekend for "The Cat in the Hat," against a production budget described as "nearly $100 million" — a steep comedown from long-range forecasts issued months earlier that had put the opening as high as $40 million to $50 million. Friday's number, including a $1 million Thursday preview session across 3,200 theaters, points to a weekend performance likely near the lower end of that already-reduced range; final three-day figures are reported by studios and tabulated industry-wide on Sunday and Monday.

A mixed critical verdict

Reviews embargoed until earlier in the week did the film no obvious favors. On Rotten Tomatoes, "The Cat in the Hat" carried a 45% Tomatometer score from 55 critic reviews as of release weekend, a rating the aggregator's own site classifies as "rotten." Metacritic listed a comparable Metascore of 46 from 16 critics, denoting "mixed or average" reviews. Notably, both sites showed a sharp divergence from general audiences: Rotten Tomatoes' early Popcornmeter score stood at 86% from more than 250 verified ratings, and Metacritic's small early user sample skewed favorable as well.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics consensus describes the film as a "high-energy sprint through Dr. Seuss's world," whose "eagerness to please has some charm," while faulting its "frantic" pace and "small" stakes.

Trade coverage of the review cycle, including a roundup published by Fiction Horizon, noted sharply divided takes: Variety's review argued the film strained to turn the Cat into a franchise mascot, while the Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter were similarly unconvinced, even as Deadline's review called it "a genuine treat for the whole family." The film was directed by Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni, who also co-wrote the screenplay from a story by Caroline Williams, with a voice cast that also includes Xochitl Gomez, Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, Matt Berry, America Ferrera, Giancarlo Esposito, Paula Pell and Tituss Burgess.

A rocky year for Warner Bros.' theatrical slate

The release caps a difficult stretch for Warner Bros.' theatrical business more broadly. The studio's live-action horror title "The Bride!," starring Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley, opened to just $7.2 million domestically in early March against a reported $90 million budget, finishing third at the box office behind Pixar's "Hoppers" — a result Fangoria called "a big swing and a miss commercially." DC Studios' "Supergirl" fared little better over the summer, debuting to roughly $38 million against a budget near $170 million and then falling more than 70% in its second weekend, a performance Los Angeles Magazine reported could leave the studio facing losses as high as $125 million. "The Cat in the Hat" also marks Warner Bros.' return to theatrical animation after roughly three years away from the format, following the studio's decision to shelve the completed film "Coyote vs. Acme" in a 2023 cost-cutting move; that film was later sold to Ketchup Entertainment and went on to gross more than $100 million worldwide.

Warner Bros. first acquired the film rights to "The Cat in the Hat," in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, in January 2018, and the project moved through several release-date changes — including an earlier slot in February 2026 — before settling on this month's wide release. The studio has described the film as the opening chapter of a planned animated Dr. Seuss franchise, with a "Thing One and Thing Two" spinoff and an adaptation of "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" slated for March 2028.

The first real estate under Skydance

The opening weekend also carries added significance because it is among the first theatrical releases to go out under Warner Bros.' new ownership. On Oct. 6, Paramount Skydance completed its roughly $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that made Warner Bros. Discovery a wholly owned subsidiary of the renamed parent company, Skydance Corporation, according to a Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing the transaction's completion. David Ellison serves as chief executive of the combined company alongside co-chief executive Ynon Kreiz. The merger followed a monthslong regulatory fight, including a settlement with a coalition of state attorneys general that imposed conditions on Skydance's news and production operations.

Neither Warner Bros. nor Skydance had issued public comment on the opening weekend as of this writing. Whether "The Cat in the Hat" can build toward profitability over the coming weeks, as animated family titles often do with strong weekday matinee and holiday-period business, will be one of the first visible markers of how the new ownership group manages Warner Bros.' film division. Final three-day domestic and international box office totals, along with any studio response, are expected to be reported industry-wide by Monday.