The holiday box office is winding down, with “Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” continuing to dominate the charts and attract family audiences before the back-to-school rush. While “Mufasa” outperformed “Sonic 3” during the weekdays, this weekend marks the Disney prequel’s first three-day reign at number one, achieving this after a Friday gross of $7.6 million. This digitally rendered animal musical, directed by Barry Jenkins, has surpassed $150 million in North American box office revenue, securing a spot in the top 15 highest-grossing domestic releases of 2024.
Despite steady holiday business following a slower start, “Mufasa” hasn’t matched the $191 million domestic opening weekend of its 2019 predecessor. With a production budget exceeding $200 million, the film has performed strongly internationally, but hasn’t quite reached the blockbuster status its budget might suggest.
Meanwhile, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” slowed to second place after a Friday gross of $6.9 million, projecting a $20.7 million weekend total. The film has already surpassed $170 million domestically and is poised to surpass “Sonic 2’s” 2022 total of $190 million. A fourth installment is already in development.
In third place, Focus Features’ “Nosferatu” continues its strong performance, exceeding expectations as one of the top earners in the studio’s history. A Friday gross of $4.2 million, representing a 42% drop from the previous week’s daily total, still projects a relatively modest 39% weekend decline, pushing its domestic gross towards $69 million.
Disney’s “Moana 2” claims fourth place, adding $4.1 million on Friday. In its sixth weekend, the sequel has already surpassed $900 million globally and is on the verge of overtaking “Despicable Me 4” ($969 million) to become the third highest-grossing film of 2024. A billion-dollar milestone seems achievable, a feat only accomplished by “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Inside Out 2” last year, both also Disney releases.
Rounding out the top five is “Wicked,” projecting another $10.2 million in its seventh weekend. Despite being available on premium video on demand, the film continues to perform well, potentially reaching $450 million domestically by the end of the weekend.
Just outside the top five, Searchlight Pictures’ “A Complete Unknown” maintains strong performance, earning $2.6 million on Friday. The biopic starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan is anticipating a 29% drop in its second weekend, still projected to surpass $40 million domestically.