Either way, both “Mufasa” and “Sonic 3” had plenty to celebrate over the Yuletide frame.
Meanwhile, two newcomers — the Focus Features “Nosferatu” remake and Searchlight’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” — started strong over the extended holiday period.
For Searchlight, it’s the second-largest opening in the studio’s history behind 2009’s “Notorious” ($20.4 million over the traditional weekend).
“Moana 2” picked up $18.3 million over the traditional weekend and $28.3 million during the Christmas stretch, boosting its North American tally to nearly $395 million.
A few months ago, box office revenues were 27.5% behind last year.
In the five days since Christmas, the family-friendly movies “Mufasa: The Lion King” from Disney and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” from Paramount are fighting for the top spot at the North American box office, each earning about $60 million.
Estimates show that “Sonic 3” was marginally ahead over the traditional weekend ($38 million between Friday and Sunday; $59 and 8 million from 3,769 venues since Christmas Day on Wednesday), while “Mufasa” claimed no. During the five-day period, the total revenue was $37.1 million from Friday to Sunday and $63.9 million from 4,100 theaters since Wednesday. In any case, “Mufasa” and “Sonic 3” had a lot to rejoice about during the Yuletide season.
Meanwhile, two new releases, Searchlight’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” and Focus Features’ remake of “Nosferatu,” got off to a strong start during the long holiday season. Both movies debuted above pre-release estimates and were well received by critics.
Bill Skarsgård played Count Orlok in Robert Eggers’ film “Nosferatu,” which debuted in third place with $21.1 million over the traditional weekend and $40.3 million over the first five days of release. According to the studio, 40% of the audience bought their tickets the day before the film’s premiere, which is why “Nosferatu” almost doubled its initial $25 million projection. Costing about $50 million to make, the R-rated gothic story about a terrifying vampire who stalks a haunted young woman appears to have the longevity required to support its budget.
Timothée Chalamet, the composer of “Like a Rolling Stone,” appeared on “A Complete Unknown,” which peaked at No. 6 with $11.6 million over the weekend and $23.2 million over its first five days, which was better than anticipated. After “Notorious” from 2009, Searchlight has the second-largest opening in the studio’s history ($20.4 million over the traditional weekend). With a price tag of over $70 million, this R-rated musical biopic is unlikely to be profitable because theater owners keep about half of ticket sales. The success of “Wonka” and “Dune: Part Two” has fortunately solidified Chalamet’s position as a bankable star, and big-screen movies about well-known musicians like “Elvis,” “Bob Marley: One Love,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” have been huge hits.
David A. claims, “‘Nosferatu’ has the horror crowd to itself through the remainder of the holidays.”. Gross, who is the head of Franchise Entertainment Research, a consulting company for motion pictures. A Complete Unknown, on the other hand, is “going to be the dominant older-skewing title for the season.”. Over the next month, the numbers should increase because this audience takes a little longer to get to a movie. “”.
The $200 million budgeted tentpole “Mufasa” is making a comeback after a rough start at the domestic box office, where it only made $35 million on its first weekend. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, “Mufasa” has started to gain popularity among family audiences around Christmas. After nine days in theatres, the “Lion King” prequel has made $111 million in North America and $328 million worldwide. Disney will continue its 2024 box office run with “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool and Wolverine,” and “Moana 2” as long as momentum can hold. After five weekends, “Moana 2” has made $882.55 million worldwide and is expected to surpass $1 billion in the coming year.
Until now, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” has made $137.5 million in the US and $211 million abroad. The third animated adventure about a blue anthropomorphic speed demon is poised to surpass its predecessors, the 2020 original “Sonic the Hedgehog” ($148 million domestically, $319 million worldwide) and the 2022 sequel “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” ($190 million domestically, $405 million worldwide), thanks to promising reviews and high audience ratings. It is not surprising that a fourth movie is already in the works, as the threequel, which cost $122 million to produce, will be another financially successful Paramount release.
A24’s sensual thriller “Babygirl,” which debuted in eighth place with $7.2 million from 2,115 screens, is also new to theaters. Nicole Kidman plays a powerful CEO who has an affair with an intern in this R-rated movie. It has gotten mixed reviews, scoring a 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B-” on CinemaScore.
Finally, with $2 million from 2,006 theaters over the traditional weekend and $4.33 million over the five days, Amazon MGM’s inspirational sports drama “The Fire Inside” just missed the top 10. Rachel Morrison, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer of “Mudbound,” returns as a feature director for the movie, which follows American professional boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields. Both reviewers and viewers have praised the $12 million film “The Fire Inside,” which has an “A” rating on CinemaScore and a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Gross claims, “This is a tiny opening for a sports drama.”. However, “a theatrical release such as this will increase the film’s ancillary value and the film should recover its costs from domestic business alone,” even with a modest budget of less than $12 million. “.”.
The top five was completed by Disney’s “Moana 2” and Universal’s “Wicked.”. At $424 million domestically and $634 million globally, “Wicked” brought in an additional 19.4 million over the conventional weekend and $31.7 million over the five days. The North American total for “Moana 2” increased to almost $395 million after earning $18.3 million over the traditional weekend and $28.3 million over the Christmas period.
With no potential billion-dollar blockbuster like “Avatar,” “Star Wars,” or “Spider-Man” scheduled for Christmas, ticket sales during one of the most popular moviegoing seasons are being salvaged by holdover business from “Moana 2” and “Wicked.”. Box office receipts lagging by 27.5 percent from the previous year a few months ago. As we approach the holidays, Comscore reports that overall domestic ticket sales have decreased to 4 percent behind 2023, still trailing by roughly 23 percent behind 2019.
Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst, says, “The last six weeks of 2024 brought one of the most diverse and alluring slates of films, generating a huge amount of box office heat that is taking the year out on a high note.”.
