2023 hasn’t necessarily been the 100th anniversary year Disney was hoping for, what with many of the studio’s releases sinking at the box office. But there’s much hope that the palette will be cleansed with the release of Wish, Disney’s latest original animated feature which is intended as a marriage of classic Mouse House storytelling and modern sensibilities.
You might’ve heard that Wish — which stars West Side Story‘s Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine — is coming out over Thanksgiving weekend, but maybe you require more info on how you can actually get to watch it. These days, for example, Disney sometimes releases its movies simultaneously on streaming and in theaters or perhaps even exclusively on streaming.
So can Wish be watched on streaming? Well, close your eyes and make a wish and maybe I’ll tell you…
How to watch Disney’s Wish
In short, no, Disney’s Wish is not available on streaming at the time of its release. Launching just ahead of Turkey Day, i.e., on Nov. 22, Wish is instead opening in theaters worldwide. Given that, we probably won’t see it on Disney Plus for a few months yet. Certainly not until 2024.
Exactly what that time frame will be all depends on how successful Wish proves to be in cinemas, as Disney likes to extend theatrical runs if a movie is performing well but also send films to streaming quicker if they are sadly not bringing in viewers on the big screen. So, even if you’re a diehard Disney fan and you desperately want to see Wish from the comfort of your own home sooner rather than later, it’s actually better if Disney makes you wait an excruciatingly long time.
As it happens, Wish is predicted to bring home a solid $45-50 million domestically over its opening weekend, which is immensely better than how 2022’s Strange World performed over the same period, so it looks like it might take a while for it to hit streaming. In the meantime, you can witness the magic as Disney intends by catching Wish in theaters.