Disney’s latest animated film, Wish, flopped at the box office during its opening weekend, but the musical fantasy movie could make a comeback.

Summary

• Disney's Wish had a disappointing box office opening but has slowly improved and crossed the $100 million mark worldwide.
• Like Pixar's Elemental, Wish initially bombed but could potentially recover during its theatrical run, although it's unlikely to match Elemental's success.
• Wish's underperformance can be attributed to releasing movies on Disney+ and negative reviews, resulting in fewer theatergoers and dampening box office earnings.

Disney's Wish premiered on November 22, and its box office totals from its opening week were abysmal, to say the least. The musical fantasy film from Walt Disney Animation Studios was crafted to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary and revolves around a teenage girl named Asha, voiced by Ariana DeBose, living in the Kingdom of Rosas, ruled by King Magnifico, voiced by Chris Pine. The ruler is the sole keeper of his people's wishes until Asha makes a wish of her own. While the animated film flopped at the box office during its first week, it continues to make up ground, leading some to believe the movie will make a surprising comeback.

Wish earned only $31.7 million at the domestic box office over its opening weekend (which was over the course of five days due to the long Thanksgiving weekend). These numbers were undeniably severely disappointing to the Walt Disney Company, given its recent downhill trend related to the performances of theatrical releases. More films from Disney have been failing at the box office than movies that are succeeding, and Wish is just the latest casualty. However, the musical fantasy film could recover while still in theaters, just like one Pixar movie did in 2023.

Wish's Box Office Should Continue To Improve - But Will Struggle To Repeat Elemental's Comeback

Although Wish flopped at the box office during its opening weekend, the Disney movie crossed a significant milestone a few weeks later. The animated musical fantasy film crossed the $100 million mark at the worldwide box office over the weekend of December 8. As of the writing of this article, it has received $106.1 million, which will continue to grow throughout its theatrical run. Whereas $49.4 million comes from Wish's domestic earnings, $56.7 million is from the international box office. So, the 2023 movie is seemingly performing better overseas, which has boosted its worldwide gross but likely won't help it match the impressive success of Pixar's Elemental.

Like Wish, Elemental initially bombed at the box office. However, the 2023 animated romantic comedy-drama film became a sleeper hit after its poor performance during its opening weekend. Elemental grossed $29.6 million at the domestic box office despite early projections of $35-40 million. It was the second-worst three-day opening for a Pixar movie, and success was seemingly out of reach. But something strange happened over the course of the romantic comedy-drama's theatrical run. It continued to make money, and by the time theaters pulled it from their lineups, Elemental had earned $495.9 million against a $200 million budget, making it a profitable film.

It would be difficult for Wish to match the unprecedented success of Elemental because it has a long way to go before it becomes profitable.

Even though Elemental made a comeback at the box office, it's unlikely that Wish will. The Disney film's total earnings should continue to perform throughout the holiday season, but after almost three weeks in theaters, it has only made half its reported $200 million budget. Consequentially, it would be difficult for Wish to match the unprecedented success of Elemental because it has a long way to go before it becomes profitable, and it has some competition coming up at the theaters in December.

Why Wish Failed At The Box Office

Wish failed at the box office for a multitude of reasons. For starters, following the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney released its new titles on Disney+ rather than in theaters to combat the worldwide shutdown. As a result, many Disney+ subscribers have learned that they can wait for films to be added to the streaming service (which they already pay for) instead of spending money at the theaters. So, fewer people are inclined to go to their local cinema to watch Disney movies than there were before 2020. Additionally, Wish received negative reviews, discouraging people from seeing it in theaters and stifling its box office totals.

Related

Wish's Villain Would Have Worked With 1 Specific Change

Disney's Wish hasn't been a huge success, and one part of it - the villain story - could have worked with 1 specific change implemented.

What Will Wish's Final Box Office Be (& What It Needs To Break Even)?

Wish needs to make at least $400 million at the box office to be considered a financial success, and it probably won't cross that line. The Disney animated film will play in theaters through the end of 2023 and continue into early 2024, so it has time to make up some ground and reach that $400 million goal. However, the movie isn't picking up much steam at the box office and will soon have competition. Illumination's Migration premieres on December 22, which will undoubtedly take money away from Wish, given that the two films have a similar target audience. Ultimately, Wish will likely break even at the box office and make around $200-250 million.

Wish

Wish is a Disney animated adventure/fantasy comedy that follows Asha, a young girl from the kingdom of Rosas who wants nothing more than to care for the people of her home. One night, Rosa takes a chance to wish upon a star - only to invite a bit of chaos when her prayers are somewhat answered by an energetic cosmic entity known as Star. Together with her goat and this new friend, they'll set off to save the kingdom from an ambitious king.

Release Date

November 22, 2023

Cast

Ariana DeBose , Chris Pine , Alan Tudyk , Dee Bradley Baker , Frank Welker