‘Wish’s Global Box Office Makes Strides Internationally

Earlier this year, Pixar’s Elemental was all but written off after a near-disastrous debut at the box office. But the movie bounced back handsomely thanks to genuine interest and a lack of competition, concluding its global theatrical run with nearly half a billion dollars. Disney Animation’s latest release, Wish, had a similarly disappointing debut but appears to have steadied itself in subsequent days with strong holds, especially in overseas markets.

The movie finished just outside the top five this weekend at the domestic box office, where it was outclassed by the holdover hit Trolls Band Together, but it registered an improvement in international territories, thanks mainly to a strong debut in Japan. With nearly $72 million from overseas markets and just under $55 million domestically, Wish has now grossed $126 million worldwide. Taking its reported $200 million production budget into account — not to mention the many more millions that Disney spent on marketing it — the movie still has a long way to go before it can be counted as a success. But stranger things have happened. Wish opened to a little over $30 million in its extended Thanksgiving debut, and registered a hefty drop domestically in its second weekend. But it appears to be making up for it in overseas territories; the film has grossed more than $7 million each in the U.K. and France, and more than $5 million in Germany and China. Wish is yet to open in Italy, Australia, South Korea and Brazil.

Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, Wish tells the story of a teenage girl who meets a living, magic fallen star after making an impassioned plea. Reviews for the movie have been mixed. Wish currently sits at a “rotten” 48% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, but it earned a strong A- CinemaScore from opening day audiences. Collider’s Ross Bonaime called it “one of the worst animated Disney films in years,” and noted that the movie wasn’t worthy of being released in the studio’s centennial year.

Chances of a Rebound Look Slim for ‘Wish’

It has been observed in the post-pandemic era that even moderately well-made animated films have done just fine at the box office, mainly because of how underserved children are. While Elemental grossed over $490 million worldwide, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish generated over $480 million, and Sing 2 made just over $400 million a couple of years ago. What’s probably hurting Wish at the box office is the sustained success of Trolls Band Together, which is on the verge of crossing the $190 million mark worldwide. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Wish

Wish follows a young girl named Asha who wishes on a star and gets a more direct answer than she bargained for when a trouble-making star comes down from the sky to join her.

Release Date

November 22, 2023

Director

Chris Buck , Fawn Veerasunthorn

Rating

PG

Runtime

92 minutes

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