Wanderlust
| Budget: $30 million | Financed by: Universal; Relativity |
|---|---|
| Domestic Gross: $17,450,535 | Domestic Distributor: Universal |
| Overseas Gross: $6,871,779 | Directed by: David Wain |
Starring: Paul Rudd Jennifer Aniston |
Produced by: Judd Apatow |
Wanderlust was financed by Universal for $30 million and received some capital from Relativity. A month before it was set to open, Universal pushed the October 7, 2011 release date back to February 24, 2012. It opened against Relativity’s Act Of Valor, Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds and Gone. Wanderlust was tracking poorly up to its release and was expected to land in the high single digits for the weekend. Reviews were mixed and it opened below its low expectations with a terrible $6,526,650 — placing #8 for the weekend led by Act Of Valor. The film declined 41.1% in its second frame to $3,843,840 and then sank 57% to $1,653,645 in its third session. The domestic run closed with only $17,450,535.
Comedies usually have difficulty finding an overseas audience and Wanderlust was no different, pulling in only $6.8 million across a handful of territories. Universal opened Wanderlust wide in the UK in 371 theaters to a poor $1,744,462 total — which posted the strongest overseas number. The worldwide gross was $24.1 million and Universal would see returned about $13.2 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross. The theatrical receipts would not cover the P&A expenses or any of the budget.
Apatow Productions saw a disappointing 2012 with Wanderlust, The Five-Year Engagement and This is 40.