Disney’s “Mufasa” reclaims the box office crown, finally surpassing “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” after a close competition. While “Sonic 3” initially held the top spot for two weekends, “Mufasa” ultimately secured victory over the five-day holiday period at the end of 2024. In its third weekend, the “Lion King” prequel added $24 million from 3,925 North American theaters, exhibiting a modest 26% decline from the previous weekend. This brings its domestic gross to $168 million and a global total of $476 million – a respectable performance following a less-than-stellar initial theatrical run. However, with a production budget exceeding $200 million, the film’s continued success in theaters throughout the new year is crucial to achieving profitability.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” slipped to second place, grossing $21.2 million from 3,746 theaters in its third weekend, representing a 42% drop. Despite this, the film has already amassed $187.5 million domestically and $312 million globally, surpassing the original 2020 film’s domestic gross of $148 million and closing in on the sequel’s $190 million. The “Sonic” franchise has now crossed the $1 billion mark in worldwide box office receipts, solidifying its position as a major cinematic success, leading Paramount Pictures president and CEO Brian Robbins to call it “an unstoppable cultural force with limitless potential.” A fourth installment is already in development.
The typically slow January box office trend continued into 2025. Holdover films from the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons dominated the remaining spots. Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” held onto third place, generating $13.1 million in its second weekend, reaching a cumulative $69.4 million. Disney’s “Moana 2” secured fourth place with $12.3 million in its sixth weekend, pushing its North American total to $425 million and global gross to $960 million, on track to surpass $1 billion. Universal’s “Wicked” adaptation rounded out the top five with $10.2 million in its seventh weekend, accumulating $450 million domestically and over $650 million globally. Finally, the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet, remained at number six, adding $8.1 million in its second weekend for a total domestic gross of $41.7 million.