In a thrilling start to the year, the ‘Lion King’ prequel, ‘Mufasa,’ has finally claimed its throne at the North American box office, leaving ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ trailing behind after a competitive few weeks.
‘Mufasa,’ which had been chasing the blue blur, ‘Sonic,’ for two weeks, managed to pull ahead during the holiday stretch at the end of 2024. It collected an impressive $24 million from 3,925 theaters across North America in its third weekend, experiencing a minor dip of 26% from its previous weekend. This energetic tale about the future ruler of the Pride Lands has now amassed $168 million domestically and $476 million globally, which is quite a feat given its somewhat shaky start. However, with production costs exceeding $200 million, and theater owners retaining half of the ticket sales, ‘Mufasa’ still needs to keep roaring at the box office to justify its princely budget.
On the other hand, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ secured the second position, earning $21.2 million from 3,746 locations, a decline of 42% from the prior weekend. This latest installment of the zippy, anthropomorphic hedgehog has already sprinted past the figures of its predecessors, with $187.5 million in domestic and $312 million in global earnings. The ‘Sonic’ series, based on the beloved Sega video game, has now crossed the $1 billion milestone worldwide, and anticipation is building for the already planned fourth installment. Paramount Pictures’ CEO, Brian Robbins, expressed enthusiasm, noting, “The ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ franchise has become an unstoppable cultural force with limitless potential.”
Meanwhile, the sedate January box office landscape is enlivened by holdovers from late-year releases. Notably, ‘Nosferatu,’ an eagerly awaited ‘Dracula’ remake by Robert Eggers, holds the third spot with $13.1 million in its second weekend, starring Bill Skarsgård as the iconic Count Orlok. Since its debut on Christmas, it has accumulated $69.4 million, marking a significant accomplishment for an indie film.
Disney’s ‘Moana 2’ rides the wave into fourth place with $12.3 million in its sixth week, bringing in $425 million domestically and approaching $1 billion globally, a substantial achievement for a film initially planned for streaming. Joining it in the top five is Universal’s ‘Wicked,’ which conjured $10.2 million in its seventh week, tallying $450 million across the U.S. and Canada, and exceeding $650 million worldwide.
Rounding out the top performers is ‘A Complete Unknown,’ a biographical musical featuring Timothée Chalamet as the legendary Bob Dylan, which stands at sixth place. After two weeks, it has gathered $41.7 million domestically, a respectable showing for a film of its kind.
As the new year unfolds, the competition between these cinematic titans paints a dynamic picture of the box office landscape. With ‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic’ setting pace, audiences can expect more memorable adventures on the big screen, promising an exciting journey for filmgoers everywhere.
Source: Yahoo
