Disney’s “Wish” isn’t just the company’s signature holiday release.
It’s a celebration of 100 years of storytelling magic. Or so the marketing tells us.
“Wish” tells an original story teeming with Disney shoutouts, from references to Bambi to the adorable “Star” character connecting to Jiminy Cricket’s iconic song.
All that history and magic couldn’t lift “Wish” at the box office.
The film is slated to earn $32.3 million at the US box office over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend, one of the busiest movie-going periods of the year. That’s below even the modest estimates from just a few days ago. It’s also clear the film had no chance of reaching the $60 million mark Box Office Pro suggested during that span.
Disaster.
It’s an oddly perfect way to cap a terrible year for the Mouse House. Here’s a quick roll call of other calamitous releases on the studio’s 2023 ledger.
- “Haunted Mansion”
- “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”
- “The Creator”
- “The Marvels”
- “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”
“The Marvels” and “Indiana Jones” alone will cost Disney dearly.
Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and “Elemental” found modest success, with the latter opening weakly but having serviceable “legs,” in industry terms.
And that’s the best, and only, hope left for “Wish.”
Will the film have legs over the holiday season? Parents will be itching to send their tykes to the movies over the next month, and the competition isn’t stiff at the moment. They won’t like the film’s 50 percent “rotten” score at RottenTomatoes.com, but audiences to date have been more kind – 83 percent “fresh.”
“Trolls Band Together” is doing modestly well and hits a similar demographic. “The Marvels” opened weakly and faded very fast. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” already made most of the cash it will generate theatrically.
“Wonka” and “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” hit theaters Dec. 15, which could cut any momentum “Wish” carries up until that point.
The irony behind “Wish’s” weak box office debut?
The film doesn’t neatly align with Disney’s new woke agenda. Yes, the main character is an empowered young woman, but the story suggests the perils of Big Government and the glory of free will.
Even more shocking? We’re told dreams can come true … but you shouldn’t rely on the government to make that happen.
Had Disney pitched that message to the masses, “Wish” might have ended the company’s year on a rare high note.