The holiday box office race has turned into a thrilling showdown between “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “Mufasa: The Lion King.” According to The Wrap, the blue speedster maintained its momentum, securing the top spot with an estimated $37.4 million Friday-to-Sunday haul, marking a mere 38% drop from its $60 million debut. “Mufasa” followed closely, matching its opening weekend with an estimated $35 million.
However, the five-day holiday window tells a different story. “Mufasa” takes a slight lead with a projected $61 million, compared to “Sonic 3’s” $59 million1. The Lion King prequel saw a surge in family audiences on Christmas Day, aligning with Disney’s strategy. Both films are now eyeing the $200 million domestic and $500 million worldwide milestones.
Focus Features’ “Nosferatu” is making waves as a Christmas Day specialty release. After an impressive $11.5 million opening day, the film is projected to earn $20 million this weekend, culminating in a $39 million five-day start from 2,992 theaters2. This performance surpasses initial projections of a $30 million extended launch. Robert Eggers’ remake, produced on a $50 million budget, has garnered positive reception with an 86% critics score and 76% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a B- CinemaScore, which suggests mixed to negative reactions from opening night audiences, which can sometimes hinder a film’s box office performance.
Still, “Nosferatu” is poised to become Focus Features’ highest-grossing release since 2019’s “Downton Abbey,” which earned $96 million. The film is on track to secure a spot among the distributor’s top 10 highest-grossing films of all time.
Searchlight’s “A Complete Unknown,” a Bob Dylan biopic, is also performing well, drawing in older audiences. The film is estimated to earn $12 million this weekend, with a five-day start of $23.5 million from 2,835 locations. Its A CinemaScore and 95% Rotten Tomatoes audience score bodes very well for its future performance.
This year’s Christmas box office was a far cry healthier than last year’s Christmas box office, which offered moviegoers “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” “Wonka,” “The Color Purple,” and for the kiddies there was only Universal’s “Migration.”
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English (US) · 