Thanksgiving Box Office Triumph: ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel and ‘Napoleon’ Reign Supreme, While ‘Wish’ Faces Challenges

The Hunger Games prequel dominated the domestic box office, raking in an estimated $42 million from Wednesday to Sunday, including $28.8 million for the weekend. Released just before Thanksgiving, the film concluded the weekend with a domestic total nearing $100 million and global earnings of $197.3 million, boosted by an additional $26.2 million from overseas markets.

In a surprising turn of events, Ridley Scott’s latest historical epic, Napoleon, claimed the second spot, surpassing Wish. The film, featuring Joaquin Phoenix, debuted with an estimated $32.5 million over five days, including $20.4 million for the weekend. Despite mixed reviews and a B- CinemaScore, Napoleon exceeded expectations for an adult drama.

The movie’s global launch reached $78.8 million, with an overseas opening of $46.3 million, securing the top spot internationally. This success marks another triumph for Apple Original Films, following Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Apple Original Films financed both projects, collaborating with Sony for global distribution and marketing on Napoleon.

Wish, an original narrative without associated intellectual property, secured the third position, generating approximately $19.7 million over three days and $31.7 million over five days. Despite falling short of initial projections, the film’s potential for a sustained run, similar to Encanto and Elemental, may aid its performance. Wish’s opening, alongside Trolls Band Together, raises concerns about the family box office’s recovery from the ongoing pandemic.

Trolls Band Together, released alongside Napoleon, clinched the fourth spot with a five-day gross of $25.3 million, accumulating a domestic total of $64.5 million. The family box office’s struggle for recovery is underscored by the performances of both Trolls and Wish.

Thanksgiving, a slasher film from TriStar and Spyglass Media, rounded out the top five in its second weekend, amassing an estimated five-day total of $11.2 million, bringing its 10-day domestic total to over $24 million.

In the horror genre, Five Nights at Freddy’s achieved a significant milestone, becoming the highest-grossing Blumhouse production globally, surpassing Split with an estimated worldwide haul of $283.1 million.

At the awards box office, Focus Features’ The Holdovers is anticipated to secure the seventh spot with a five-day holiday earnings range of approximately $4 million.

MGM/Amazon’s Saltburn debuted domestically with $3.1 million, accompanied by an international box office earning of $3.1 million, resulting in an early global tally of $6.2 million. Warner Bros. International is responsible for handling the film overseas.