Box Office: ‘Mufasa’ Beats ‘Sonic’ for No. 1 Over Christmas Stretch as ‘Nosferatu’ and ‘A Complete Unknown’ Start Strong
Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” and Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” are duking it out for first place at the North American box office with each of the family friendly films bringing in roughly $60 million over the five days since Christmas.
Based on estimates, “Sonic 3” was ever-so-slightly ahead during the traditional weekend ($38 million between Friday and Sunday; $59.8 million from 3,769 venues since Christmas Day on Wednesday) while “Mufasa” claimed No. 1 over the five-day stretch ($37.1 million between Friday and Sunday; $63.9 million from 4,100 theaters since Wednesday).
More from Variety
Meanwhile, two newcomers — the Focus Features “Nosferatu” remake and Searchlight’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” — started strong over the extended holiday frame. Both films were well received by critics and launched above pre-release projections.
“Nosferatu,” directed by Robert Eggers and starring Bill Skarsg?rd as Count Orlok, opened in third place with $21.1 million over the traditional weekend and $40.3 million over its first five days of release. The studio reported that 40% of the audience purchased their tickets the day before they saw the movie. The R-rated gothic tale, about a terrifying vampire who stalks a haunted young woman, cost roughly $50 million to produce and looks to have the staying power needed to justify its budget.
“A Complete Unknown,” featuring Timothee Chalamet as the “Like a Rolling Stone” composer, landed at No. 6 with $11.6 million over the weekend and a better-than-expected $23.2 million over its first five days. For Searchlight, it’s the second-largest opening in the studio’s history behind 2009’s “Notorious” ($20.4 million over the traditional weekend). This R-rated musical biopic carries a price tag upwards of $70 million, and since theater owners get to keep roughly half of ticket sales, “A Complete Unknown” faces an uphill battle to profitability. Luckily, Chalamet has cemented his status as a bankable star with the successes of “Wonka” and “Dune: Part Two” while films focused on famous musicians, such as “Bob Marley: One Love,” “Elvis” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” have been all the rage on the big screen.
“‘Nosferatu’ has the horror crowd to itself through the remainder of the holidays,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. Meanwhile, “A Complete Unknown” is “going to be the dominant older-skewing title for the season. This audience takes a little more time to get to a movie, and that should buoy the numbers over the next month.”
“Mufasa” is rebounding after a rocky start at the domestic box office, where the $200 million-budgeted tentpole lost out to “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” during its opening weekend with just $35 million. Critics haven’t been high on the film but audiences have been receptive, so “Mufasa” has begun to catch on with family crowds around Christmas. So far, the “Lion King” prequel” has grossed $111 million in North America and $328 million globally after nine days in theaters. As long as momentum can sustain, Disney will continue its 2024 box office streak of “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Moana 2.”
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” has generated $137.5 million domestically to date. Buoyed by positive reviews and strong audience scores, the third animated adventure about a blue anthropomorphic speed demon will soon outpace its predecessors, 2020’s original “Sonic the Hedgehog” ($148 million domestically, $319 million worldwide) and the 2022 sequel “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” ($190 million domestically, $405 million worldwide). The threequel cost $122 million to produce and will become another commercially successful installment for Paramount, so it’s no surprise a fourth film is already in the works.
Also new to theaters is A24’s erotic thriller “Babygirl,” which debuted in eighth place with $7.2 million from 2,115 screens. The R-rated film, starring Nicole Kidman as a high-powered CEO who has an affair with an intern, has received mixed reviews including a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes and “B-” on CinemaScore.
Lastly, Amazon MGM’s inspirational sports drama “The Fire Inside” just barely cracked the top 10 with $2 million from 2,006 theaters over the traditional weekend and $4.33 million over the five day frame. The film, following American professional boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, is the feature directing debut of Rachel Morrison, the Oscar-nominated cinematographer of “Mudbound.” The $12 million-budgeted “The Fire Inside” has been embraced by critics and audiences with a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and “A” grade on CinemaScore.
“This is a small opening for a sports drama,” says Gross. But “with a modest budget of under $12 million, a theatrical release like this is going to increase the movie’s ancillary value and the film should recover its costs from domestic business alone.”
More to come…
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
