Disney's "Wish" underperforms during Thanksgiving, prolonging an animation box office slump.

• During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Disney's "Wish" earned a disappointing $31.6 million at the box office.
• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Napoleon, and Trolls Band Together faced competition in ticket sales.
• Historically, Disney has been successful at the Thanksgiving box office, but it has struggled to motivate moviegoers to visit theaters for its recent releases since the pandemic.

To break out of its animation rut, it must do more than just make a wish on some stars.

Despite being marketed as a centennial tribute to storytelling, the latest animated film "Wish" underperformed at the box office during the Thanksgiving weekend, earning only $31.6 million over five days, significantly lower than the predicted range of $45 million to $55 million by box office analysts.

"The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" by Hunger Games topped the five-day holiday box office, earning $42.2 million in ticket sales, while "Napoleon," an R-rated war epic directed by Ridley Scott, finished in second place with $32.75 million.

Disney has consistently released successful animated films during the Thanksgiving holiday for over a decade.

Since the pandemic, it has been challenging to motivate moviegoers to visit cinemas for their latest releases.

According to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, a "set it and forget it" strategy based on past performance is no longer effective for studios in the current movie market. The market is constantly evolving, and audiences are making their preferences known through their attendance or absence at the multiplex.

The underperformance of "Wish" continues an unfortunate trend for the company, which runs two animation studios: Walt Disney Animation and Pixar.

Disney's difficulties have arisen due to the executive choices to add content to its new streaming service Disney+, which has put a strain on its creative teams and resulted in theatrical films being released directly to digital during the pandemic.

Disney's animated films were not well-received by audiences who did show up to theaters, despite parents being confused about their release dates and locations during the pandemic.

Disney+ faces pressure from shareholders, limited marketing budgets, and selective audiences at cinemas.

Disney, long the dominant force in animation, is now facing intense competition from studios such as DreamWorks, Warner Bros., Sony, and others for the attention of moviegoers. In fact, just a week before "Wish" was released, DreamWorks released the third installment of the successful "Trolls" franchise, "Trolls Band Together."

"Wish" lost $2.4 million in ticket sales during the five-day Thanksgiving frame due to "Trolls Band Together" eating into its market share.

The company's latest release was not successful when it was released in a marketplace with a well-known "Trolls" movie already present, according to Dergarabedian.

Disney has found success with films like "Elemental," which earned $29.6 million during its domestic opening but went on to secure nearly $480 million globally before leaving theaters.

During the Thanksgiving period in 2021, "Encanto" made $40.3 million. Despite earning less than $250 million worldwide during the pandemic, the film gained popularity on Disney+. It became a favorite among kids and adults alike, with the catchy tune "We Don't Talk About Bruno" drawing them in.

Disney+ has a future for the movie "Wish" and it will be shown during the December holiday family moviegoing corridor, according to Dergarabedian.

NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast, distributed the film 'Trolls Band Together'.