MEGHAN & HARRY Sights Set On Moving To L.A.
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are ready to live closer to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood ... our sources say they're eyeing a move to Los Angeles.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Meghan and Harry have been discussing a move to L.A. after deciding to no longer look for a home in Malibu.
We're told Meghan and Harry are taking interest in different L.A. neighborhoods, though they haven't toured any houses yet ... other than the $8 million plot of land in the 'Bu they checked out back in September, which they've decided to pass on.
Meghan and Harry live up the coast in Montecito, and a move to L.A. makes sense ... they've been attending lots of Hollywood events, and while Malibu is way closer than Montecito, they feel it's still too far from where they want to be.
Our sources say privacy and community are at the top of the list for Meghan and Harry ... which is one reason they soured on that estate in Malibu.
After TMZ broke the story of Meghan and Harry touring an estate off Pacific Coast Highway, we're told the property became a magnet for paparazzi and news coverage ... which created safety concerns for them and ultimately steered them away.
Meghan and Harry have lived in the Los Angeles area before ... and were able to fly under the radar at first.
You may recall ... Meghan and Harry lived in Tyler Perry's mansion in Beverly Ridge Estates for several weeks back in 2020, going mostly undetected ... and our sources say they want to move somewhere similar, where neighbors share concerns about privacy and security.
Meghan and Harry gushed over Tyler's place in their docuseries ... with Harry describing his time there as "bliss because no one knew we were there ... We were there for six weeks, and no one knew. My family still thought I was in Canada."
Eventually, the media caught on and figured out where Meghan and Harry were living, forcing Tyler to secure the property with a fence to stop paparazzi from snapping photos.
Tyler says he and his neighbors lived privately for years and had never seen anything like the media blitz over Meghan and Harry ... claiming once the word got out there were drones and helicopters flying over the home 24/7, and people sneaking onto the property and cutting holes in the chain link fence.
Cue Randy Newman!!!
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White House Becomes Winter Wonderland ... In '23 Xmas Decorations
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the White House -- which is completely decked out in decorations ... so elaborate, in fact, they might even make Saint Nick himself blush.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue got adorned over Thanksgiving weekend ... and it looks like President Biden and co. are ready to welcome December cheer based on all the sparkly ornaments that went up all throughout the building and the rest of the grounds.
There's all the traditional stuff you'd expect ... Xmas trees, wreaths, lights and fake snow all over the place -- but there also seems to be a little bit of a specific holiday theme here.
The White House says they're going with a "Magic, Wonder and Joy" motif this year ... but if you read into what exactly is lining the halls right now -- it would appear the Bidens have a sweet tooth, 'cause there's a bunch of fake candy/treats hanging from the ceilings!
It's always cool to see the People's House get into the spirit of things ... and it also sounds like they're expecting quite a few visitors throughout the next month and change -- upwards of 100,000 or so, according to WH staffers.
'Tis the season ... to be merry and political. Those usually go hand-in-hand, right?
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Prince William Ghosted Harry Before QE2 Died ... New Books Claims
Prince Harry was left on read in the hours before his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, died last year -- and the person ghosting him was none than his brother ... William.
A new book from Royal insider Omid Scobie makes the shocking claim ... namely, that Bill completely ignored Harry's texts as he was attempting to make travel plans to fly from California to the UK in hopes of seeing QE2 before she passed.
One source says all of Harry's messages to his old sibling went unanswered -- with the apparent rationale being ... "He clearly didn't want to see his brother."
Since William wasn't communicating with Harry ... Scobie's book -- "Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival" -- says the Duke of Sussex had to figure out what was going on all on his own ... which required him to book a pricey private jet.
Scobie alleges Harry had to shell out $30k to fly over solo ... this as PW was on his own private flight with Prince Edward and his own wife. The book claims Harry had no idea if the Queen had died already or not ... and word of her death actually broke while he was in the air.
As far as how Harry supposedly felt about this .... Scobie cites a source as saying, "Harry was crushed. His relationship with the Queen was everything to him. She would have wanted him to know before it went out to the world."
This anonymous pal of Harry's adds, "They could have waited just a little longer, it would have been nothing in the grand scheme of things, but no one respected that at all."
Of course, when Harry did finally arrive in Scotland -- where the Queen was on her deathbed before eventually passing on -- it was too late ... and he hadn't had a chance to say goodbye.
His presence in the UK at the time was solemn -- and while he and Will put on a united front to commemorate their grandma ... this book now suggests things were incredibly frost between them behind the scenes. Now, with their recent history in mind ... that's no shock.
Fact is ... Harry and Meghan's infamous claims of racism within the Royal institution included a hint that perhaps William himself had partaken in all that -- something the Prince of Wales firmly denied at the time. It's an understatement to say ... Will didn't like how Harry handled his exit as a Senior Royal, and everything else that came afterward -- public and otherwise.
Even now, their relationship seems icy at best ... there are reports that claim William won't "shed a tear" if Harry and Meg don't make it for Christmas time festivities in the UK.
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Burlington, VT Suspected Arrested ... In Possible Hate Crime Shooting of 3 Palestinians
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9:45 AM PT -- The suspect accused of shooting three Palestinian men has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder in the second degree.
Police released a booking photo of Jason Eaton. He's being held without bail.
A Vermont man is now in custody after cops claim he shot 3 Palestinian college students in what might be a possible hate crime ... this as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East.
48-year-old Jason Eaton was arrested Sunday near Burlington ... the site of the Saturday night shooting when 3 young men of Palestinian descent were fired upon on the street as they were walking and speaking Arabic and heading to a family dinner.
They've since been identified as Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid ... all of whom attend different universities in New England, including Brown.
At least 2 of them were also wearing traditional Keffiyeh scarves ... a garment often worn in Muslim countries. Because of this and the fact they were seemingly attacked without provocation, U.S. officials are saying this might be a hate crime, and the feds are investigating whether that's the case or not.
As for Eaton ... it's unclear what charges, exactly, he's facing at this point -- but he's due to be arraigned Monday. When announcing his arrest, law enforcement cited "three incidents of aggravated assault."
He's said to be a local resident of the area, and reportedly doesn't live far from the shooting.
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Taylor Swift Hosts Family Of Deceased Fan at Brazil Concert ... Gives Them VIP Treatment
Taylor Swift hosted some special guests at her Sunday concert in Brazil … the family of the woman who recently died attending her Rio de Janeiro show.
Video posted to X showed five relatives of Ana Clara Benevides Machado enjoying Taylor’s performance from inside a VIP tent at Allianz Parque stadium in São Paulo last evening.
The kin were all sporting t-shirts emblazoned with Ana’s face, including her dad, Weiny.
A source told People magazine Taylor invited the family to her Sunday show and took a group photo with them. The picture was later posted to X.
As we reported, Ana was attending Taylor's concert at Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium in Rio on November 17, when she began feeling sick during a heat wave. The 23-year-old fan was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Brazilian authorities are still looking into her cause of death while investigating the organizers of the concert to determine if they committed any wrongdoing.
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Jean Knight 'Mr. Big Stuff' Singer Dead at 80
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8:23 PM PT -- TMZ has confirmed Jean passed away Wednesday, and we've confirmed the authenticity of the press release circulating on social media ... which we're told comes from her family. Her publicist also tells us Jean died from natural causes.
RIP Jean Knight... we've all sung Mr. Big Stuff a time or two! pic.twitter.com/wgRECAHHBu
— LBJ📺📻 (@lbjnola) November 26, 2023 @lbjnola
Her family released a statement, which notes her long storied career which started at JetStream Records and eventually jumped to Stax Records ... and all the tunes she produced in between, ending with her starting her own label (Comstar).
The statement ends ... "Jean Knight's legacy is not just a musical one; it is a testament to the enduring love between an artist, her hometown, and the fans who adored her. As we bid farewell to this iconic soulstress, New Orleans and her global fan base join together in gratitude for the indelible mark she left on the world." The family requests privacy at this time.
Jean Knight -- most famous for her hit 'Mr. Big Stuff' -- has died ... this according to reports.
An unattributed press release purporting to be the soul singer and New Orleans native's obituary is making the rounds online -- and if it's to be believed ... it says JK passed away last Wednesday, although the circumstances surrounding her death are unclear for now.
Knight's 1971 song is easily her biggest claim to fame, but it's a huge contribution to music and pop culture. 'Mr. Big Stuff' not only performed incredibly well on the charts when it came out -- including five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart, and peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- but it ended up being featured in numerous films and TV shows.
Just a handful of series that used 'MBS' ... 'Family Guy,' 'black-ish,' 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,' 'Everwood' and 'The Deuce' -- just to name a few. On the movie front, it got played in Will Ferrell's 'Semi-Pro.' Beyond that ... the track got remixed/sampled a ton over the years.
Some of that notable acts who flipped this gem ... Heavy D & The Boyz, Eazy-E, TLC, Queen Latifah, Everclear, Girl Talk, Beastie Boys and John Legend. 'Mr. Big Stuff' had also been covered a handful of times ... famously by Precious Metal, Lyn Collins and many others.
Jean had recorded lots of other songs throughout her career ... but none ever reached the success of 'Big Stuff.' Some of her other notable singles ... "My Toot Toot," "You Think You're Hot Stuff," "Carry On," "Helping Man," "Do Me," "Jesse Joe (You Got to Go)" ... and more.
She was 80.
RIP
Originally Published -- 6:19 PM PT
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L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Biden Ain't Too Old for Presidency
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Joe Biden's age has come under scrutiny as 2024 approaches, but a fellow Dem is going to bat for him ... none other than Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Mayor Bass -- who served in Congress before her current gig -- told us Wednesday, all the haters who suggest JB is way too old to give the White House another go need to look no further than what he's already done for the country.
According to Bass, his record speaks for itself ... and she's not sure what else he can do to convince people he's fit to extend his tenure.
Frankly, it's no surprise Bass is backing Biden -- that's the party line, and just about every Democrat will say the exact same thing with a camera in their face. Behind the scenes, however, many Dems are singing a different tune. The polls are ominous ... Trump's beating Biden and the President's approval rating has sunk to 39%.
The mayor's playing good good soldier for her party and President, and when we brought up the prospect of Gavin Newsom coming up to the plate ... she says she won't even talk about that until 5 years from now.
One last thing ... Bass says the alternative to Joe is Trump -- and she sees that as a non-starter, and more than enough reason to pull the lever for POTUS again next year.
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Dominique Wilkins I Pulled My Own Rookie Card!!! ... But Wanted M.J.
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Here's a crazy story -- Dominique Wilkins opened a pack of old NBA cards recently ... and as luck would have it, he pulled his own rookie card!!
The whole thing was documented on video ... when the Hawks legend joined OTIA Sports CEO Jason Koonce to break an unopened batch of 1986 Fleer basketball cards in hopes of finding a Michael Jordan rookie in the pack.
FYI -- the '86 Fleer set is filled with a ton of rookie cards of that era ... including MJ, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and, of course, Dominique Wilkins.
The pull was pretty cool -- the Human Highlight Film reminisced about playing against several players as he revealed the deck ... which featured big names like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Bill Walton.
Once Wilkins came across his own face, the group of guys started freaking out ... with Koonce swearing up and down the card was not planted.
"This was sealed, this was not planned," Koonce said in the video. "That is insane."
"On my kid's life, that was not set up!"
The card could be pretty valuable depending on its condition ... some in great shape are currently listed online for thousands of dollars!!
Sorry ya didn't pull an MJ, Dominique ... but you were a pretty damn good player, too!!
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Guess Who This Beanie Baby Turned Into!
Before this blonde kiddo bundled up in her beanie and purple jacket turned into a singer and actress, she was just braving the winter weather in Bainbridge Island, Washington with her older sister and shining bright as a child star!
Her claim to fame was on Disney's "Liv and Maddie" where she starred for four seasons, and, now a brunette, she showcases all her glitz and beauty to her 48 million Instagram followers. In 2016, she played Amber Von Tussle on "Hairspray Live".
You may have seen her in the 'Marvel Rising' franchise.
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Ludacris Rappels Into Falcons' Stadium ... Wild ATL Game Performance
Ludacris performed at the Atlanta Falcons game this weekend -- and it looks like he took a page out of Lady Gaga's playbook to make an entrance ... descending from the heavens.
The rapper was the hired talent Sunday at Mecedes-Benz Stadium ... but weirdly enough, he didn't put on a halftime performance -- but rather, did a quick set after the third quarter ... which definitely took everyone by surprise.
The reason ... the dude literally rappelled down onto the stage below from way up toward the top of the facility -- and he did it kinda slowly, partially rapping a song in the air.
Looks like he was doing 'Move Bitch' on his way down ... and he was hyping up the crowd too, who ate it up. Unclear if he did a whole set once he touched down or not (there was a game going on, after all), but he got a little shine regardless.
ROLL OUT 😤@Ludacris repelled from the roof at the #Falcons game to celebrate 50 years of Hip Hop in the ATL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uiEEb7sOUp
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 26, 2023 @NFLonFOX
The whole point of this was to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop in the ATL ... of which Luda has been a huge contributor over the years -- not to mention countless other acts from the area.
A worthy salute to the genre, indeed. 🫡
Kim Kardashian Coming to Netflix w/ Comedy Film ... After Studio Bidding War
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Kim Kardashian is jumping from Hulu to Netflix -- at least for movies, anyway -- 'cause she sold a forthcoming comedy she'll star in to the streaming giant ... this after a ton of interest.
Deadline broke the news Sunday ... a new flick called "The Fifth Wheel" just got sold to Netflix after an apparent bidding war to snap up the rights among 5 different studios. In the end, Netflix made the winning offer ... although it's unclear how much they shelled out.
This film isn't written or shot yet ... Kim K and the 2 co-writers who came up with the concept -- Paula Pell and Janine Brito -- simply sold the idea ... and now they'll actually make it. Kim's gonna play the lead ... a "fifth wheel" among an ensemble of female actors.
The rest of the plot deets are being kept under wraps ... but word is, Pell and Brito immediately thought of Kim for this and pitched her. After she came aboard, they started hitting the town as soon as the actors' strike ended and collectively shopped it around.
Deadline says Kim's been present at a lot of the meetings, and her involvement spurred a lot of studios to open their doors and take the movie under consideration. BTW, she's not only gonna act in this thing ... but she'll produce as well, alongside Pell and possibly others.
Pell is a well-known and established TV comedy writer ... as is Brito. Pell's got a lengthier resume, with tons of 'SNL' credits. She also wrote the Amy Poehler/Tina Fey movie "Sisters." Paula also notably EP'd Judd Apatow's 'This Is 40.'
Considering Pell's extensive history with 'SNL' stars ... you can probably expect that same type of mid-2010s humor for this new movie -- just with a little Kim K star power twist.
Of course, the bigger takeaway here is the fact that Kim's diving further into the acting pool. She already had a run on 'AHS' this year ... plus all the other smaller roles she's done in the past. This would be an even greater flex, though ... her straight-up leading a comedy.
We'll see how it turns out ... Deadline says this got picked up by Netflix's "mid-budget" team -- and according to reports, Netflix is aiming to spend between $30-$80 million on those.
The empire grows, still.
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Jen & Ben Smooching On Display Couch ... While Furniture Shopping
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck bought a palace of a home earlier this year, but even all these months later ... they still appear to be trying to furnish the place, or so it seems.
The couple went shopping Saturday, hitting up a furniture/interior design store in L.A. ... and plopping down on one of the display couches on the floor to test it out a bit. They were photographed from outside, and it looks like they did a bit more than just sit and chill.
Take a look for yourself ... Jen and Ben were feeling a little romantic, smooching one another as they cozied up on the model sofa -- and chitchatting a bit here and there too.
Unclear if they ended up making a purchase or not -- whether it was the couch or otherwise -- but it looks like they're the type of people who like to see and feel what's gonna be in their house ... as opposed to just blind online catalog shopping, which they could easily do.
Again, J Lo and BA purchased their new estate way back in May -- throwing down $60 million for a huge property in Bev Hills ... which they started moving into right away. Based on pics of that whole process at the time, it seemed they each had a fair amount of stuff.
The pad itself has a lot of space to fill -- so snapping up extra furniture, even now, isn't all that crazy. Their mansion has 12 bedrooms, plus a ton of other rooms for lounging and whatnot. Safe to say, it takes time to deck it out ... especially if they're in-person shoppers.
What's funny ... Jen and Ben are just like the rest of us in this regard. The only difference is that most folks are hitting Ashley -- and they're swinging by an upscale decor showroom, with prices that quickly run up into the 5 figures and beyond.
Happy hunting, you two!
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Tom Brady Takes Kids Snorkeling ... Days After Getaway w/ Mom
Tom Brady is on dad time right now -- taking his kids out to sea ... just a few days after their mom, Gisele, flew 'em out to Central America with that jiu-jitsu guy she's always with.
The retired NFL quarterback posted a bunch of photos of him and his little ones Sunday, where they're on a boat and diving into the ocean with snorkeling gear on. He captioned his post, "I did Michigan and Massachusetts winters for a long time. Let me have this."
The pics he threw up are super cute ... but he definitely added one thirst trap, which features him facing the camera and completely shirtless. Yeah, the dude's ripped here.
No sign of his eldest son, Jack ... but we can see his other 2 kids -- whom he shares with Gisele -- front and center and ready to dive. There was another little girl in the mix too, but it's unclear who she is. In any case, if you peep his IG, looks like lobster's for dinner.
Now, what's interesting about this excursion is the fact that Gisele took these same children on a trip just earlier this week. They were photographed down in Costa Rica enjoying a vacation ... with none other than Joaquim Valente tagging along as well.
Gisele and Joaquim have been on a lot of getaways together this year ... and at times, her and Tom's children have joined them. It seems like that's becoming a regular thing now.
Despite the obvious appearance of Gisele and Joaquim being a couple ... she's denied any such thing, saying he's simply a close friend of the family who coaches them all up.
Hard to say if anyone's really buying that ... frankly, nobody tends to jet set with their jiu-jitsu instructor for intimate family outings like this, month in and month out. Whatever though ... right now, it's Tom's time with the kiddos -- and he's making the most out of it.
As you know ... Tom and Gisele are divorced now, so sharing custody is their new norm.
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Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' Tour Daughter Blue Ivy Upped Dance Moves Due to Folks Hatin' Early On
Beyoncé's daughter, Blue Ivy, has been a fixture at just about all of her "Renaissance" tour concerts this year -- and she's upped her onstage game ... all thanks to the haters.
In the wake of her concert film's premiere this weekend, the NYT reviewed the film and quoted Queen Bey as saying ... BI's involvement with the tour was meant to just be a temporary, one-off deal ... but became a regular thing after her kid pushed back.
They add, "Though she finally relented, Beyoncé was dismayed when Blue Ivy read comments on social media that criticized her lackluster moves. But it thrilled her mother that instead of quitting, she decided to put in the work and train even harder for future stops."
This news has caused quite a stir on social media ... half of Twitter is outraged that so many people were brutally criticizing the 11-year-old early on in the tour, but others are using this as proof that Blue Ivy's resilient/talented -- 'cause she's a way better dancer now.
Footage from her May outings in Europe has been making the rounds online ... and yes, you can see a major difference in how she performed then compared to recent shows.
The debate now is whether the harsh assessments of her skills at the time were warranted or not -- some think BI 100% deserved the flak she got, arguing that if she steps into the spotlight (next to her mom, no less) it's fair game. Others think the girl deserved a break.
She should’ve listened to the professional performer that hired professional performers who said she wasn’t ready. She fucked around and found out. She’s better for it now. Get a grip. https://t.co/YZNzaODPms
— damn. (@danselord) November 26, 2023 @danselord
In any case, Blue Ivy's proven herself more than worthy to share centerstage with her very famous parent. And as she gets older, more scrutiny will come ... them's the breaks, kid.
Jillian Barberie Front Door Almost Broken Down ... Middle-of-the-Night Scare
Jillian Barberie almost experienced a would-be home invasion this weekend when her front door nearly came crashing down in the dead of the night ... and she filmed it all, too.
The former TV host and FOX personality -- who used to work on "Good Day L.A.," among other telecasts -- documented the terrifying aftermath of what she says was a loud bang in the wee hours of Sunday morning ... which left the entryway to her apartment crushed.
Watch ... Jillian jumped on IG Live right after it happened and was spurred by her followers/fans to call the police -- something that apparently didn't occur to her right away.
Later, Jillian explains she was still pretty out of it ... but while this was all unfolding -- she took her audience on quite a ride, showing off how she was barricading the door with what supplies she had ... and even demonstrating how she planned to defend herself.
She didn't have a gun or anything, but pepper spray will do in a pinch, we suppose.
Anyway, she ultimately did call 911 at 2:15 AM and filmed that encounter too. The officer who showed up had her file a report and told her to talk to maintenance in the AM. The weird thing is, when they examined the door damage ... there was no footprint on the outside, seeing that's what JB (and just about everyone else) suspected it was -- namely, somebody kicking it in.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Jillian's been posting a ton of updates on her social media pages ... and reveals that a friend came to stay with her until the management team crew came by to make the repairs.
Strangely, there's still no clear explanation for what it could've been. Jillian still thinks this was human-caused -- and believes somebody might've just slammed their whole body into her door and bolted. But an investigation is underway and they're looking for the culprit.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Pretty freaky stuff, obviously -- and what's crazier is that Jillian appears to live in a swanky apartment building out in Ventura ... which is usually considered a pretty decent area.
No evidence suggested anyone entered the residence. Detectives are investigating.
Just goes to show ... ya always gotta be prepared for the worst. Stay safe, y'all.
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Disney Latest Animation Flick 'Wish' Flops Box Office Woes Continue
Another miss from Disney at the box office -- the studio's latest original animated movie bombed with moviegoers over the holiday break ... marking just the latest flop for 'em.
Of course, we're talking about "Wish" ... with Ariana DeBose as the main character and Chris Pine as the big bad and a bunch of other cute side characters. Unfortunately, none of them were enough ... 'cause "Wish" only made $31.7 million through the 5-day "weekend."
Ticket sales were getting counted as early as Wednesday, but come Sunday ... "Wish" had underperformed by a lot. Projections had it pegged at $45-$50 mil over the same 5 days.
It didn't do great internationally either, pulling in just $17.3M overseas ... bringing its total worldwide haul to about $49 million. In layman's terms, the film flopped -- and it ended up coming in third place behind 'Napoleon' (#2) and the 'Hunger Games' prequel (#1, again).
This is not good news for the Mouse House ... which usually dominates the Thanksgiving window. Up until last year -- when their other original animated feature "Strange World" performed abysmally -- Disney had put out hits around this time of the year ... including "Encanto," "Coco" and others, all of which made a crap ton of money right out the gate.
What's strange is that "Wish" actually got good reviews and great audience reception ... so it's unclear what exactly the problem was. It's possible the SAG strike hindered promotion of this movie ... but it also ended well before its release date, so it's a bit of a mystery.
Mind you, this is just the latest fizzle for Disney this year -- others include the last 'Indiana Jones' movie, "The Haunted Mansion," "The Marvels" and others. Rough year, indeed.