The box office skirmish between Wish and Napoleon has been won, though The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes still dominated Thanksgiving weekend. The prequel to the Hunger Games movies opened the weekend before Thanksgiving, five days before the two mid-week releases. As the 5-day holiday weekend began to heat up, it became clear that both the new Disney animated movie and the Ridley Scott historical epic were circling the No. 2 spot at the domestic box office with grosses in a range of just over $30 million apiece.
Per Variety, the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes box office has officially claimed No. 1 over Thanksgiving weekend with a 5-day gross of $41 million. Napoleon conquered the remaining territory with a 5-day gross of $32.5 million, placing it at No. 2. Wish shot down to No. 3 with a total of $31.7 million, considerably lower than its originally projected $45 to $50 million range.
Which Thanksgiving Release Will Actually Make the Most Money?
While it’s quite clear that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is coming out on top, all three movies are operating in different budget ranges that make their success or lack thereof a different prospect for each. For instance, the Napoleon box office trouncing a Disney Thanksgiving release is a huge accomplishment for an adult-oriented historical drama in addition to earning Ridley Scott’s best non-genre opening weekend since 2010. However, the movie comes with a production budget estimated between $130 and $200 million before factoring in publicity costs, which could prevent it from going into the black anytime soon.
While the Wish box office is significantly higher than the $18.8 million 5-day total earned by Disney’s 2022 Thanksgiving flop Strange World, it faces similar challenges to Napoleon. Wish‘s budget range is estimated between $175 and $200 million, placing it in an even tighter bracket than the Ridley Scott epic. However, Wish is destined for an eventual release on Disney+ and its potential streaming numbers might make up for some theatrical losses, something that may not occur with Napoleon‘s Apple TV+ release considering the streaming services’ differently sized audience bases.
The question remains whether Wish or Napoleon ends up being more profitable. However, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will likely come out on top of the other two titles yet again. While the movie is underperforming compared to previous entries in the Hunger Games franchise, its tighter $100 million budget means that it will almost certainly make its money back in its theatrical run, as it is already nearing that total at the domestic box office alone.
