The 2023 Thanksgiving box office saw a mix of hits and misses, with strong showings from “Hunger Games” and “Napoleon” contrasted by the underperformance of Disney’s “Wish.” While total sales improved over the pandemic period, the $172 million 5-day gross fell short of pre-2020 levels.
“Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” took in a hearty $42 million in its second week, holding well after its solid debut. Meanwhile, Apple’s gritty war epic “Napoleon” scored an upset victory, bringing in $32.5 million over the extended weekend. However, Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration “Wish” stumbled badly, tallying just $31.7 million against expectations of $45 to $55 million. Additionally, you can also read about- ‘The Nun 2’ Tops Box Office with $32.6 Million, ‘Equalizer 3’ Drops to Second
The tepid response for “Wish” highlights lingering issues at Disney’s animation division, which has fought to regain theatrical momentum post-pandemic against competitors like Universal’s durable “Trolls” franchise. Building restored audience goodwill and making films feel like must-see events remains a pressing priority.
At around $172 million from Wednesday to Sunday, this Thanksgiving box office topped the holiday frames since 2020. However, it still fell shy of the $250+ million hauls seen consistently pre-coronavirus. The diverse film slate brought an uptick in attendance, though a full recovery remains gradual.
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