Detroit is still No. 1 ... in worst movie openings

We’re still No. 1! We’re still No. 1! In what, you ask? Um ... do we have to say?

“Playmobil: The Movie” earned under $1 million this weekend. The animated children’s movie, which opened in 2,337 theaters, now can lay claim to having one of the worst wide-release opening weekends of all time, according to Variety.

But a Detroit-made movie, which also filmed in west Michigan, still has the title of worst opening ever for a release in more than 2,000 theaters.

The 2012 movie “The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure,” filmed in Farmington Hills and Holland, Michigan, earned $443,901 in 2012 over the same time period and was released in 2,160 theaters.

“Delgo,” a 2008 animated fantasy, is in second place with nearly $512,000.

“Playmobil,” a toy-based movie which was trying to follow in the footsteps of the hugely successful Lego-inspired film franchise, raked in a disappointing $668,000. Variety called the box office failure “historic” for the $75 million film.

The G-rated “Oogieloves” was a live-action movie filmed in 2009 in Farmington Hills and Holland, Michigan, in the new era of Michigan film incentives. It was independently produced by Kenn Viselman, the marketing whiz who helped make Thomas the Tank Engine and the Teletubbies famous in America.

The incentives program ended in 2015 due to a lack of love from a Republican-led state government, which terminated the program.

Contact Detroit Free critic Julie Hinds: jhinds@freepress.com. Press pop culture 313-222-6427 or