After recent misfires with Lightyear and Strange World, and a rough launch for Pixar's Elemental, Disney Animation Studios' Wish is currently tracking for a $50 million domestic opening weekend. The movie is set to open in North American theaters on November 22, 2023.
This amount is sufficient to make it the studio's greatest opening weekend domestic gross since the 2017 release of Coco, a pre-pandemic film. Over a 5-day holiday weekend, that movie brought in $72.9 million.
While Wish's $50 million projection is lower than the studio's pre-pandemic numbers, it's a step in the right direction considering Elemental opened to $29.6 million, Strange World grossed $18.8 million over the 2022 Thanksgiving weekend, and Lightyear earned $50.5 million in its opening weekend in June 2022.
Disney should currently feel optimistic about Wish's opening weekend expectations, given it is still somewhat premature for definitive box office numbers. For example, Five Nights At Freddy's (another picture released to coincide with a holiday) was initially anticipated to gross $33-$42 million but ended up earning $78 million.
Don't be shocked if Wish's box office forecasts begin to tick upwards as the film's November 22 release date approaches.
Wish is believed to make references to several previous Disney Animated classics as part of the celebration of Disney's 100th anniversary.
For example, when the movie moves to King Magnifico's workshop, viewers should look out for a shot of the Evil Queen's poison apple, as revealed to Entertainment Weekly by co-directors Christopher Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn. There are several other easter eggs strewn throughout the movie, this being only one.
The first ten minutes of the movie were shown to the audience during Wish's special presentation earlier this year at the Destination D23 Event at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Wish was hailed as a must-see movie on social media despite the fact that the footage was not released.
WISH Synopsis: In “Wish,” Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force—a little ball of boundless energy called Star.
Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.
Featuring the voices of Academy Award-winning actor Ariana DeBose as Asha, Chris Pine as Magnifico, and Alan Tudyk as Asha’s favorite goat, Valentino, the film is helmed by Oscar-winning director Chris Buck (“Frozen,” “Frozen 2”) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (“Raya and the Last Dragon”), produced by Peter Del Vecho (“Frozen,” “Frozen 2”) and co-produced by Juan Pablo Reyes (“Encanto”).
Jennifer Lee (“Frozen,” “Frozen 2”) executive produces, and also co-wrote the script alongside Allison Moore (“Night Sky,” “Manhunt”).
With original songs by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice, plus score by composer Dave Metzger.
Wish opens only in theaters on Nov. 22, 2023.