"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" continued its reign at the box office for the second weekend in a row, surpassing the highly anticipated “Wish” from The Walt Disney Co. and Ridley Scott's "Napoleon." Lionsgate's prequel to "The Hunger Games" franchise grossed $28.8 million over the weekend and $42 million over the five-day holiday frame, bringing its total domestic earnings to nearly $100 million and global earnings to $200 million in just two weeks.

The battle for second place was tightly contested, with “Napoleon” narrowly outperforming "Wish." The epic historical drama, starring Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine de Beauharnais, exceeded expectations by raking in $32.5 million over the five-day weekend and $20.4 million from Friday through Sunday. With a global box office total of $78.8 million, “Napoleon” also emerged as the top movie worldwide. Despite mixed reviews and a lackluster “B-” CinemaScore from audiences, the film proved to be a solid start for Apple Studios, which aims to make a statement in Hollywood with its big-budget productions like "Killers of the Flower Moon."

On the other hand, “Wish” fell short of Disney's usual Thanksgiving success. Disney Animation releases like "Frozen II," "Ralph Breaks the Internet," and “Coco” have historically dominated the holiday box office, but “Wish” struggled to make an impact. It earned $31.7 million over the five-day weekend and $19.5 million from Friday through Sunday, below the projected debut of $50 million. However, it still outperformed Disney's Thanksgiving release in 2022, "Strange World," which opened with a disappointing $18.9 million.

Co-written and co-directed by the team behind "Frozen," “Wish” was intended to be a celebratory fairy tale in honor of Disney's 100th anniversary. Unfortunately, critics felt that the film leaned more towards marketing tactics rather than delivering genuine movie magic. This underwhelming performance adds to Disney's recent setbacks, including the underperformance of "The Marvels," which has struggled to reach profitability with $76.9 million domestically and $110.2 million internationally after three weeks.

The competition for family audiences during the Thanksgiving weekend also played a role in "Wish's" struggles. DreamWorks and Universal Pictures' "Trolls Band Together," which premiered a week earlier, garnered $17.5 million in its second weekend, splitting the audience with Disney's release.

Despite the initial disappointment, there is still hope for “Wish” to follow in the footsteps of Pixar's "Elemental." Although “Elemental” had a lukewarm opening in June, it eventually found success with nearly $500 million in worldwide earnings. This suggests that “Wish” could potentially gain momentum and attract more viewers in the coming weeks.

In addition to the top contenders, Emerald Fennell's “Saltburn” made its wide-release debut over the holiday weekend. The film, starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi, grossed $3.1 million over the five-day period for Amazon and MGM. Meanwhile, Focus Features' "The Holdovers," directed by Alexander Payne and featuring Paul Giamatti, continued to be a popular choice for moviegoers, earning $3.8 million over the holiday weekend and reaching a total of $12.9 million in five weeks.

Overall, ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada reached $172 million over the five-day holiday weekend, a significant increase compared to recent years but still falling behind pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, boosted by the release of "Frozen 2," ticket sales exceeded $262 million during the Thanksgiving weekend.

As the award season picks up pace, Netflix debuted Bradley Cooper's “Maestro” in select theaters, although grosses for the film were not reported. Despite the challenges faced by the film industry due to the ongoing pandemic, the Thanksgiving weekend showcased some successes and setbacks, setting the stage for the upcoming holiday season.