## Weekend Box Office: Mufasa Reigns Supreme
Despite trailing *Sonic the Hedgehog 3* throughout much of the holiday season, Disney’s *Mufasa: The Lion King* roared to the top of the weekend box office. Initial predictions favored *Sonic 3* continuing its dominance, but the *Lion King* prequel defied expectations, grossing a solid $23.8 million. This represents a modest 35% week-to-week decline, outperforming *Sonic 3*’s 43% drop to $21.2 million.
While *Mufasa* secured the weekend win, *Sonic 3* ultimately boasts a significantly larger overall victory. With a cumulative $187.5 million, it surpasses the first film’s $148 million and nears the $190 million earned by *Sonic 2*, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise. In contrast, *Mufasa*’s $168.6 million total is likely to fall far short of its 2019 predecessor’s $600 million-plus gross.
Elsewhere, Disney enjoyed continued success with *Moana 2*, adding over $12 million for a massive $425 million total – a figure poised to double the original film’s domestic gross. However, *Moana 2* was narrowly edged out by Robert Eggers’ horror hit, *Nosferatu*, which earned $13.2 million, bringing its domestic total close to $70 million and setting it up to potentially surpass $100 million. This success is already securing *Nosferatu*’s place as Focus Features’ highest-grossing film.
Maintaining its strong performance despite being available on PVOD, Universal’s *Wicked* raked in $10.2 million, pushing its domestic total to a staggering $450 million, firmly on track to exceed $500 million. Searchlight’s *A Complete Unknown* also proved a hit with adult audiences, grossing over $8 million this weekend for a $41.6 million total—its highest-grossing film since the Disney merger. It’s projected to finish with a domestic gross of around $55-60 million.
A24’s *Babygirl*, while not the indie breakout some anticipated, still performed decently, earning $4.49 million—a 0% week-to-week change. The film’s controversial nature is generating buzz, ensuring continued ticket sales with a current total of $16 million. Further success hinges on potential Oscar nominations.
Finally, Ridley Scott’s *Gladiator II* is nearing the end of its run, grossing $2.6 million this weekend for a $168 million domestic total. Unadjusted for inflation, it will rank as Scott’s third highest-grossing domestic film. Angel Studios’ *Homestead* earned $2.1 million, totaling $17.5 million, but faced audience backlash online, described as a “bait-and-switch” due to its connection to a streaming series. Rounding out the top 10 is Amazon/MGM’s *The Fire Inside*, which earned $1.2 million for a $7.1 million gross.
A24’s *The Brutalist* led in per-screen average, earning $244,341 from only eight screens. In contrast, the Robbie Williams biopic, *Better Man*, underperformed with $27,000 from six theaters, raising concerns about its upcoming wide release.