Box Office Update: *Mufasa* on Track to Top the First Weekend of 2025
*Mufasa: The Lion King* is poised to claim the top spot at the box office this weekend, finally surpassing *Sonic the Hedgehog 3* after a holiday season of back-and-forth competition. Throughout the holidays, the two films have engaged in a box office battle, with *Mufasa* typically leading on weekdays and *Sonic 3* dominating weekends. However, *Deadline* reports a shift in momentum, predicting a $24 million weekend haul for *Mufasa*, significantly exceeding earlier projections. *Sonic 3* is expected to earn $20.7 million this weekend. While *Mufasa* secures the top spot for the weekend, its cumulative box office total of $169 million still lags behind *Sonic 3*’s $187 million. Despite its strong performance, *Mufasa* is unlikely to reach the domestic box office success of the 2019 *Lion King*, which grossed over $600 million.
The competition for third place is incredibly close, with *Deadline* predicting a mere $100,000 difference between *Moana 2* and *Nosferatu*, both expected to earn over $13 million. *Nosferatu* is on track to finish the weekend just shy of $70 million domestically, well on its way to exceeding $100 million. This success would make it Focus Features’ highest-grossing domestic release, surpassing *Downton Abbey*’s $83 million.
Another holiday release setting records is Searchlight’s *A Complete Unknown*. Projected to come in sixth place (behind *Wicked*), it’s expected to earn over $8 million this weekend, representing a mere 29% decline from the previous week. With a total gross of $41.9 million, it’s already Searchlight’s highest-grossing film since the Disney merger in 2019. Its strong performance and positive word-of-mouth suggest a potential $60-70 million final gross, potentially boosted by any Golden Globe wins.
A full top 10 breakdown, including the performance of indie titles like *The Brutalist* and *Better Man*, will be available tomorrow.