Credit: DisneyThings aren’t looking too optimistic for Walt Disney Animation Studios’ latest theatrical release, Wish (2023), which is failing to hold a candle to its big-budget competitors, namely, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon (2023) and the Rachel Zegler-fronted The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023). With yet another “flop” under its belt, it seems increasingly like Disney may never reclaim its place at the top of the Thanksgiving box office, spelling trouble for the future of its animated endeavors.
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Disney’s recent financial woes haven’t exactly been a big secret, with things seeming bleaker than ever for the mighty entertainment conglomerate. Still, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger’s commitment to cutting billions from annual expenses through mass layoffs, Disney+ content purges, and upping streaming prices for subscribers, has, without a doubt, put the company on track to achieve roughly $7.5 billion in cost cuts — a $2 billion increase from the previously announced $5.5 billion at the beginning of the year.
While they have helped, for the time being, Iger’s extensive restructuring efforts have yet to really pay off in the long run — especially when it comes to the studio’s theatrical releases. Not only are Marvel and Star Wars expecting a significant drop in new content, but also, presumably, Disney’s live-action slate, as the brand continues to reevaluate its release strategy moving forward. Disney’s Snow White (2025) has already been pushed back a year out of an abundance of caution, considering its hefty price tag, as well as Pixar Studios’ Elio, which was officially postponed to 2025. This means only one live-action reboot will premiere in 2024: Mufasa: The Lion King.
Related: After 18 Years, ‘Wish’ Becomes Walt Disney Animation’s First “Rotten” Movie
More presently, however, Disney Animation needed a big win for its newest family-friendly romp, Wish, especially after the unprecedented misfire of last year’s Thanksgiving release, Strange World (2022). Unfortunately, it looks like the House of Mouse will continue its losing streak for a second year in a row, as it recently dropped to the No. 3 spot after grossing considerably lower than its originally projected $45 to $50 million range.
So far, reviews for Wish have been mixed, but most seem to agree that it’s a generally fun, well-animated adventure flick with the typical charm audiences have come to expect from a Disney production. Starring Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose, who plays 17-year-old Asha, and Chris Pine, who lends his voice to the evil King Magnifico, the movie looks to celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary. However, based on a recent box office report, it sounds like the studio’s wishes aren’t exactly coming true.
Per Variety, the results are in for what blockbuster dominated the 5-day holiday weekend, and surprisingly, director Francis Lawrence’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds is victorious. Although the Hunger Games prequel, which stars controversial Snow White actress Rachel Zegler, opened the weekend before Thanksgiving, it still snagged the No. 1 spot with a domestic gross of $41 million.
Meanwhile, Wish has officially lost the skirmish against Ridley Scott’s war epic, Napoleon, which also premiered on November 22. Despite the film also earning mixed reviews from audiences, Napoleon conquered the remaining territory with a 5-day gross of $32.5 million, while Wish shot down to the bottom of the charts, earning a total of $31.7 million.
So, what does this mean for Disney’s financial prospects? Well, first, it’s important to factor in each of these three films’ different budget ranges, as the genre epic Napoleon was given an estimated budget of $200 million by Apple TV+, putting it on a decent, albeit long, road to profitability.
Shockingly, Wish came at a similar price tag, which may raise eyebrows considering Napoleon was nearly twice as long as the Disney flick, and featured larger, practical sets, extensive battle scenes, and an A-list cast including Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby. In fact, Wish is one of the most expensive animated films of all time, so if it continues to fizzle at the box office, Disney could fail to reach the break-even point for the second year in a row, following Strange World.
With this in mind, it makes sense that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which has a reported production budget of just $100 million, is coming out on top — in terms of longterm profitability and favorability among moviegoers. According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the Hunger Games prequel is also the best-rated at the Thanksgiving box office, with a 90% audience score. Wish currently holds a solid 81% approval rating, while Napoleon stands at just 60%.
This goes to show that box office numbers aren’t always indicative of audiences’ actual thoughts on the film, for a wide variety of reasons. While it’s hard to pinpoint why exactly more moviegoers are flocking to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Napoleon over Wish, it could be due to a lack of interest in Disney’s original animated stories or, perhaps, the hype surrounding the Hunger Games prequel, as it marks the franchise’s first new film installment since The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015).
Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see whether Wish or Napoleon ends up being more profitable, given that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will likely come out on top of the other two titles in the long run. With its tighter $100 million budget, the Hunger Games entry will almost certainly make its money back in its theatrical run, which can’t be said for its other two competitors just yet. With some Disney+ subscribers surely holding out for Wish‘s arrival on streaming, however, it seems like Napoleon could have it in the bag in terms of selling tickets, shrouding the future of original animated Disney stories in uncertainty.
Do you think Wish deserved a better box office performance? Are critics being too harsh? Let us know in the comments below!