Disney’s latest animated theatrical film, Wish, has not been having a good time at the box office. Ever since the film’s November 22nd release, the film’s revenue has been steadily declining, preforming far below expectations. This past weekend after nearly three weeks in theaters, the film has grossed only $105.5 Million at the worldwide box office, with around $49 Million of that being domestic.
The film’s overall reaction from critics and audiences is mostly on the lower end, with some calling the film “uninspired” or “too artificial.” A common joke is that the film feels like it was created using artificial intelligence, mostly due to Disney wanting to utilize the technology to save money going forward.
While definitely outperforming their 2022 box office disaster Strange World, which earned only $73.6 Million worldwide, Wish was far more heavily marketed with plenty of merchandise and commercials. Not to mention Wish‘s budget is larger with a $200 Million budget versus Strange World‘s estimated $135-$180 Million. 
Wish is also falling behind previous underperformers, such as 2021’s Encanto, which earned $256.8 million against a $150 million budget. Encanto was eventually profitable when it was released on Disney+ in December of 2021, and its popularity led to high merchandise and home video sales. Some suspect that something similar may happen when Wish eventually releases on Disney+ as well.
Despite clearly underperforming, multiple outlets are trying to spin the theatrical misfire in a positive way, saying that it passed a “major milestone,” with many of them using very similar headlines. You would almost think it was a coordinated strategy to try and convince people it was somewhat successful. 
In their efforts to make a film celebrating Disney’s 100th Anniversary, they delivered a film that feels like a straight-to-Netflix movie. This film closes out Disney’s 2023 theatrical lineup, which has been one of the worst in company history.
In the wise words of John Gustafson Sr., “You can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which gets filled first.“
Source: Box Office Mojo
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