The newly released film “Napoleon” earned $32.5 million U.S. during its debut over the American Thanksgiving weekend, according to the latest box office numbers.
Napoleon debuted in second place behind the “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which had a strong second weekend, earning an estimated $42 million U.S. over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That movie has now earned $155 million U.S. globally.
Meanwhile, Disney’s (DIS) latest animated film, “Wish,” which celebrates the entertainment company’s 100th anniversary, fell short of expectations, earning $31.7 million U.S. over its first five days of release. Analysts had forecast a $55 million U.S. haul for the movie this past weekend.
The underperformance of “Wish” continues a string of disappointing animated films for Disney, which has struggled to lure audiences back to theatres after the pandemic.
Overall, the Thanksgiving box office totaled $172 million U.S., an improvement over the previous three years of reduced ticket sales due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Before the pandemic began in 2020, movie ticket sales over the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend totaled more than $250 million U.S. each year.
Disney’s stock is flat (up 0.39%) over the last 12 months and trading at $96.06 U.S. per share.