White Bird, the follow-up to the wildly successful2017 Julia Roberts movieWonder, has been relatively well-received by critics since its October 2024 release. However, for all the positives associated with the movie,White Birdhas failed to match the original in two key ways. GivenWonder’s near-universal popularity, it was likely any follow-up would struggle to match its impact. Even so, the contrast between the two movies' releases seems particularly stark.
As of writing,Wonderis available to stream on Apple TV+.
WhereasWondercentered 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 Birdfocuses on other charactersin the story. Instead of revisiting 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 relays a story from the 1940s. This represents a major narrative shift, and perhaps explains whyWhite Birdhas failed to beWonderin two important ways.
Why White Bird’s Box Office Is Over $300 Million Lower Than Wonder’s
The Original Movie Made $315 Million
The most noticeable difference between the two movies is in their financial performance. Where the 2017 original made $315 million at the global box office,White Birdhas taken just over $6.3 million– despite the films' almost identical budgets. Given the international success of the first film, this return is perhaps surprising. However, a closer inspection reveals that there are clear reasons whyWhite Birdwas always likely to underwhelm.
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For starters, the sequel lacks the star power of the original. While Helen Mirren is a well-renowned actress, she does not have the box office pull ofJulia Roberts and Owen Wilson. A second consideration is the story. Instead of following the same characters who proved so popular inWonder,White Birdacts as more of a spinoff, prioritizing the stories of figures who previously were not popular parts of the narrative. For anyone familiar withWonder’s story, the decision to focus on the previous movie’s bully.
Where To Watch White Bird: Showtimes & Streaming Status
White Bird: A Wonder Story has finally arrived after many delays, and there are options for where to watch the movie in theaters or on streaming.
There is also the movie’s unusual narrative approach.White Birdis far less conventional thanWonder, telling two distinct stories across an 80-year timeframe. For audiences already skeptical of the character focus, this structure may feel too unconventional and too much of a departure from what worked so well inWonder.
White Bird’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Compared To Wonder’s: Why Critics Like It Less
It’s Close, But Wonder Clearly Comes Out On Top
Both films in the franchise performed fairly well with critics. WhereasWonderreceived 85% positive reviews according to the review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,White Birdearned a less-impressive but still noteworthy 72%. The 13% discrepancy comes down to several important differences between the projects – specifically in their tone.
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WhereWondersuccessfully managed to negotiate the difficult balancing act between sentimentality and believable emotion,some critics felt thatWhite Birdbecame a little too contrived in places. In a mixed review forThe Jerusalem Post, critic Hannah Brown bemoaned the film’s “moments of heavy kitsch” – indicative of issues that other critics had with the film. The fact thatWhite Birdaddresses the complicated topic of the Holocaust means that such over-sentimentality seems jarringly out of place in a way that it didn’t withWonder– perhaps explaining the discrepancy in critical scores.
White Bird Does Beat Wonder’s Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
It Has 99% On Rotten Tomatoes
Perhaps surprisingly,White Birdhas beatenWonderin one key area – itsRotten Tomatoesaudience score. WhereWonderholds a still-impressive 88%,White Birdsits at a near-perfect 99%, indicating an overwhelmingly positive reaction from audiences who actually saw the movie. The key to this difference may actually lie in the very feature that some critics have taken issue with.
Whereas critics have proven themselves consistently cynical when it comes to projects that emphasize sentiment (the negative critical scores of movies likeThe Notebookbeing a prime example), these deliberately emotive stories often resonate with audiences. It is not unusual for similar projects to have noticeably higher audience scores (although 99% is exceptional by any metric). Although it’s clear thatWhite Birdhas failed to find a huge audience, viewers who have seen the film seem to be impressed.
