Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King and Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are battling for the top spot at the North American box office, with each family-friendly movie earning approximately $60 million over the five-day period since Christmas.
According to estimates, Sonic 3 held a slight edge during the traditional weekend, earning $38 million from Friday to Sunday and $59.8 million across 3,769 locations since Christmas Day. Meanwhile, Mufasa took the lead over the full five-day holiday period, bringing in $37.1 million from Friday to Sunday and $63.9 million from 4,100 theaters since Wednesday. Regardless, both films had strong showings and much to celebrate during the holiday season.
Meanwhile, two new releases — Focus Features’ Nosferatu remake and Searchlight’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown — had impressive debuts during the extended holiday period. Both films earned praise from critics and surpassed their pre-release expectations.
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, featuring Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok, debuted in third place, earning $21.1 million during the traditional weekend and $40.3 million in its first five days. According to the studio, 40% of ticket sales came from purchases made the day before the screening, helping the film nearly double its initial $25 million projections. The R-rated gothic horror, centered on a menacing vampire pursuing a young woman, had a production budget of approximately $50 million and appears poised for a successful run.
A Complete Unknown, starring Timothée Chalamet as the iconic Bob Dylan, secured the sixth spot at the box office with $11.6 million over the weekend and an impressive $23.2 million in its first five days—exceeding expectations. For Searchlight, it marks the studio’s second-biggest opening ever, following 2009’s Notorious ($20.4 million during its opening weekend). Despite its strong start, the R-rated musical biopic, with a production budget exceeding $70 million, faces challenges in turning a profit since theaters retain about half of ticket revenues. However, Chalamet’s star power, bolstered by the success of Wonka and Dune: Part Two, and the continued popularity of musician-centered films like Bob Marley: One Love, Elvis, and Bohemian Rhapsody, offer hope for its performance.
“Nosferatu will have the horror audience all to itself for the rest of the holiday season,” says David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. On the other hand, A Complete Unknown is expected to be the leading choice for mature audiences during this period. “This demographic tends to take longer to head to theaters, which should help sustain its box office numbers in the coming weeks,” Gross adds.
After a slow start at the domestic box office, Mufasa is making a comeback. The $200 million-budgeted film initially struggled, earning only $35 million during its opening weekend, trailing behind Sonic the Hedgehog 3. While critics were lukewarm, audiences have responded positively, allowing Mufasa to gain traction with families over the Christmas holiday. After nine days in theaters, the Lion King prequel has earned $111 million in North America and $328 million globally. If its momentum continues, Disney will extend its successful 2024 box office run, following hits like Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Moana 2. After five weekends, Moana 2 has already grossed $882.5 million worldwide and is on track to surpass $1 billion in the coming year.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” has earned $137.5 million in the U.S. and $211 million globally so far. With favorable reviews and strong audience feedback, this third installment in the animated series is on track to surpass the earnings of its predecessors: the original Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) made $148 million domestically and $319 million worldwide, while Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) brought in $190 million domestically and $405 million globally. With a production budget of $122 million, the threequel is poised to be another big success for Paramount, and it’s no surprise that a fourth film is already in development.
Also making its theatrical debut is A24’s erotic thriller Babygirl, which opened in eighth place with $7.2 million from 2,115 theaters. The R-rated film, featuring Nicole Kidman as a successful CEO who embarks on an affair with an intern, has garnered mixed reviews, holding a 77% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B-” grade on CinemaScore.
Finally, Amazon MGM’s motivational sports drama The Fire Inside barely made it into the top 10, earning $2 million from 2,006 theaters over the traditional weekend and $4.33 million during the five-day period. The film, which tells the story of American boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, marks the directorial debut of Rachel Morrison, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer of Mudbound. With a production budget of $12 million, The Fire Inside has received strong praise from both critics and audiences, holding a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” grade on CinemaScore.
“This is a modest debut for a sports drama,” says Gross. However, with a relatively low budget of under $12 million, a theatrical release like this will boost the film’s additional revenue potential, and it should be able to cover its costs through domestic earnings alone.
Universal’s Wicked and Disney’s Moana 2 completed the top five. Wicked earned $19.4 million over the traditional weekend and $31.7 million during the five-day period, bringing its total to $424 million domestically and $634 million globally. Moana 2 made $18.3 million over the weekend and $28.3 million during the Christmas stretch, increasing its North American total to nearly $395 million.
Without a major billion-dollar blockbuster like Avatar, Star Wars, or Spider-Man this Christmas, sustained interest in Moana 2 and Wicked is helping boost ticket sales during one of the busiest moviegoing periods of the year. A few months ago, box office revenue was 27.5% lower than last year. However, as the holiday season progressed, domestic ticket sales were only 4% behind 2023, though they still trail approximately 23% behind 2019, according to Comscore.
“The last six weeks of 2024 offered one of the most diverse and captivating lineups of films, creating a significant surge in box office activity and ending the year on a strong note,” says senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian.