‘Wish’ Flops at Box Office, ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel Fights On

Disney’s Wish for a magical debut at the Thanksgiving weekend box office failed to materialize.

The studio’s animated family film Wish opened with an estimated $19.5 million over the weekend and $31.7 million over the 5-day frame, according to box office tracking company Comscore.

Making the opening even more disappointing, the movie cost a reported $200 million to produce, plus marketing costs.

Pre-release projections had it debuting domestically with at least $35 million over the weekend and up to $50 million in five days.

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The film features original music and a voice cast that includes Oscar-winning actress and singer Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, and Alan Tudyk.

The story follows a young girl named Asha who wishes on a star and gets more than she expected when a trouble-making star comes down from the sky to join her.

Audiences who bought tickets to Wish liked what they saw, giving the film an “A-” CinemaScore.

Critics weren’t as impressed and handed it a disenchanting 50 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with some reviewers describing the film as “lifeless” and “limp.”

Instead of making a splash with families, the movie landed in third place.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes held onto the top spot after taking in another $28.8 million over three days and an expected $42 million in the 5-day frame.

Ridley Scott’s Napoleon debuted in second place with $20.4 million from Friday-Sunday and $32.5 million in five days.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby, the film offers a look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor. The Sony Pictures epic had a reported production budget of $180 million to $200 million, and will need to step up its fight to turn a profit.

As mentioned, Wish opened in third.

Fourth place went to Trolls Band Together, which earned $17.5 million for the weekend and $25.3 million for the 5-day frame in its second week in theaters.

Sony’s R-rated horror film Thanksgiving scared up $7.1 million in its second weekend and $11.1 million over five days.