According to Disney, Wish debuted on the Disney+ streaming app as the third most-watched debut for a Walt Disney Animation feature behind Encanto and Frozen II. It should be noted that the careful wording from Disney in the press release makes it clear that Pixar films are not included in this statement.
To be specific, the animated pic garnered 13.2 million views in just 5 days.
That's promising for a pic that exited theaters at $254.79 million worldwide ($63.97M domestic, $190.82M international) in what was surely a crushing disappointment for Walt Disney Animation, which certainly had high hopes for the film.
Post-release, Disney often uses the metrics from Disney+ to determine whether an IP has a place in its theme parks and the high numbers for Wish suggests that even though the film may have struck out at the box office, it won't become a forgotten franchise.
The viewing metrics from Disney+ are also used to determine whether an IP receives a sequel, so if Wish proves popular enough on the streaming app, a television series continuation or a direct-to-streaming sequel might be in the cards.
The film opened in North American theaters just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday on November 22, earning $31.7 million domestically and $17.3 million internationally, for a $49 million worldwide debut. The film has a reported production budget of $200 million.
In the Golden Globe-nominated movie, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.
Featuring the voices of Academy Award-winning actor Ariana DeBose as Asha, Chris Pine as Magnifico, and Alan Tudyk as Asha’s favorite goat, Valentino, the film is helmed by Oscar-winning director Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, and produced by Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster Jones.
Wish features a screenplay written by Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore, original songs by Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice, and an original score by composer Dave Metzger.
Wish makes references to several previous Disney Animated classics as part of the celebration of Disney's 100th anniversary.
The first ten minutes of the movie were shown to the audience during Wish's special presentation at 2023's Destination D23 Event at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Wish was hailed as a must-see movie on social media even though the footage was not released.
WISH Synopsis: In Wish, Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force—a little ball of boundless energy called Star.
Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.
Featuring the voices of Academy Award-winning actor Ariana DeBose as Asha, Chris Pine as Magnifico, and Alan Tudyk as Asha’s favorite goat, Valentino, the film is helmed by Oscar-winning director Chris Buck (“Frozen,” “Frozen 2”) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (“Raya and the Last Dragon”), produced by Peter Del Vecho (“Frozen,” “Frozen 2”) and co-produced by Juan Pablo Reyes (“Encanto”).
Jennifer Lee (“Frozen,” “Frozen 2”) executive produced and also co-wrote the script alongside Allison Moore (“Night Sky,” “Manhunt”).
With original songs by Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice, plus a score by composer Dave Metzger.
Wish opened in North American theaters on Nov. 22, 2023.