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Disney’s ‘Hexed’ Is Tracking for Walt Disney Animation’s Best Original Opening in a Decade

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Disney Animation’s ‘Hexed’ arrives at an important moment for the studio. Original animated films have struggled at the box office in recent years, and Walt Disney Animation Studios has felt that more than most.

The studio is betting big on this one. After finding billion-dollar success with sequels to ‘Moana’ and ‘Zootopia’, Disney is giving its Thanksgiving release slot to an original animated film. The holiday has become the studio’s release window of choice, and it has historically delivered strong results.

Early numbers suggest the gamble could pay off. Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro reports that ‘Hexed’ is tracking toward a $40 million to $50 million 5-day opening over the Thanksgiving weekend.

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New ‘Hexed’ Posters Give Disney’s Witch Tale a Magical Glow

That would be a major milestone. If the tracking holds, ‘Hexed’ would score Disney’s best opening for an original animated movie since ‘Moana’, which earned $82 million over Thanksgiving weekend in 2016.

Other forecasts are also encouraging. Boxoffice Pro’s long-range forecast projects $35 million to $45 million for the 3-day weekend and $50 million to $70 million across the 5-day Thanksgiving period. Either range would beat ‘Encanto’, which opened to $27.2 million over its 3-day weekend and went on to earn $96.1 million domestically.

The film is a coming-of-age story with a magical twist. Disney describes it as the tale of an awkward teen and her Type-A mother who discover that her peculiarities might be magical powers, which transforms their lives and reveals a hidden magical realm.

There, Billie and her mother, Alice, team up to solve family mysteries that could change the witching world forever. The poster leans into that sense of wonder, showing Billie surrounded by glowing magic in an enchanted forest alongside an owl and a 3-eyed creature perched on a cauldron.

The cast is packed with familiar names. Hailee Steinfeld voices Billie, an impulsive and unconventional teenage witch, while Rashida Jones voices her mother, Alice. More stars joined later. At the D23 Entertainment Showcase, Walton Goggins and Jodie Foster were added to the cast, with the film marking Foster’s first Disney animated movie. Tracey Ullman, Stephen Fry, Henry Winkler and Dan Stevens are also part of the voice cast.

‘Hexed’ comes from experienced Disney Animation talent. Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand direct, with Josie Trinidad as co-director. Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller wrote the script, and Roy Conli and Yvett Merino produced.

The project has been building for over a year. Bush first teased it during a D23 event in August 2025, and the CinemaCon presentation in 2026 offered the first real look at the film.

The opening will be closely watched. ‘Hexed’ is tracking ahead of Disney’s last 3 original animated films released on Thanksgiving weekend, and some observers see that as a sign audiences may be ready for something new.

There is still room for growth. Some outlets noted the numbers could rise as release day gets closer and Disney’s marketing ramps up. Promotions are already appearing in theaters, with Regal and other chains selling a witch’s cauldron popcorn bucket for the film. It won’t have the holiday to itself, though. Several other films open on the same date, including ‘Focker In-Law’ and ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’.

‘Hexed’ opens in theaters on Wednesday, November 25, with many international markets following between November 25 and 27. If reviews and audiences respond well, it could become one of Disney’s biggest original hits in years.

Do you think Disney's ‘Hexed’ can become the studio's next big original animated hit?

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