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.
