In its first weekend on the platform, “Wish” has become the number one movie on Disney+ worldwide, according to FlixPatrol. Meanwhile, Disney revealed on Monday (April 8th) that the film earned 13.2 million views globally in its first five days on streaming.
That means that the animated musical, starring Chris Pine and Ariana DeBose, had the third biggest premiere on the service, just behind “Encanto” and “Frozen 2.” The film is the latest in a series of movies that got a second life on streaming, such as “The Marvels.”
“Wish” was released in November 2023 to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the studio. However, it ended up being a disappointment both critically and commercially, even as it grossed over $253 million .
Wish didn’t resonate with critics
Wish takes place in the magical kingdom of Rosas, where Asha (DeBose), a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by an energy called Star. She has to save her kingdom from its ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico (Pine).
Alan Tudyk, Angelique Cabral, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Jennifer Kumiyama, Harvey Guillén, Evan Peters, Ramy Youssef and Jon Rudnitsky rounded up the cast. The film was directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, from a script by Disney Animation chief Jennifer Lee and Allison Moore.
The art style combines computer animation with the look of traditional animation, and the story was supposed to explain the origin of the “wishing star.” Meanwhile, Julia Michaels and Benjamin Rice wrote its original songs, and Dave Metzger penning its original score.
However, the film wasn’t well received by critics, who slammed the film’s lack of originality and over-reliance on references to the studio. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie got 49% of approval from 217 reviews.