Disney’s “Wish,” the studio’s newest animated adventure, was projected to land on top of box office charts over the Thanksgiving holiday that just passed, as Disney films usually do.
But for some reason Disney fans and families didn’t go to see the film over the five-day holiday weekend, leaving “Wish” to debut at #3 on the domestic charts.
The Details
Backed by a huge marketing campaign, “Wish” was projected to earn between $45 million to $50 million in its first five days of release, but only brought in $31.7 million domestically during that time period.
Not as bad as Disney’s “Strange World,” which last year only earned $18 million domestically over the five-day holiday weekend, but nowhere near 2021’s “Encanto,” which opened to $40.3 over its first five days, when COVID was still keeping families at home.
And it’s not even close to pre-pandemic Disney releases over the Thanksgiving weekend: 2019’s “Frozen II” ($123.7 million), 2018’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” ($84.6 million) and 2017’s “Coco” ($71 million).
According to industry site Box Office Mojo, Disney’s “Wish” was bested this weekend by the prequel “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” with $42 million, and the Ridley Scott-directed biopic “Napoleon,” which slightly beat “Wish” with $32.5 million.
Internationally, “Wish” earned another $17.3 million, which brings the global total to $49 million. It opened in 27 international markets, and came in at #1 in both China and Columbia.
In the case of “Wish,” Disney is probably hoping the family flick will have staying power during the busy holiday season, much like this summer’s “Elemental,” which finished much stronger than its disappointing opening weekend would have suggested.
But with this being the second original story from Disney Animation in a row to not crack the box office, don’t be surprised if the animation schedule fills up with sequels like “Frozen 3.” Pixar is starting to look the same, with only “Elio” on the slate of original films, to be followed by “Inside Out 2,” and an in-talks “Toy Story 5.”
Did you see “Wish” over this weekend? Let us know what you thought of it in the comments.
Elsewhere on the Chart
Disney has two other films in the domestic top 10 during this holiday weekend.
Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels” came in at #6 this week with $9.2 million for a three week total of $76,853,446.
And Taika Waititi’s latest film for Searchlight Pictures, “Next Goal Wins,” is hanging in at 9th place with a $2.575 million, for a two-week total of $5,742,770.
