Both ‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic’ claim North America box-office supremacy
THE final weekend of 2024 saw two big movies battling for box-office supremacy in North America, with both emerging with a solid claim to first place.
Disney’s animated drama Mufasa: The Lion King prevailed in the five days from Christmas Day (Dec 25) to Sunday with an estimated take of US$63.8 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on Sunday (Dec 29).
But Paramount’s action comedy Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – which booked US$59.9 million for that same five-day holiday period – came out on top for the traditional Friday to Sunday stretch, edging the Disney film by US$38 million to US$37.1 million.
Overall, the weekend generated “big, although not record-breaking box office” numbers, said analyst David Gross, adding that “the next seven days should be excellent”.
New vampire movie Nosferatu from Focus Features also posted some impressive numbers, with US$40.3 million for the five-day period and US$21.2 million for the three-day weekend.
Gross called that “an excellent opening for a new horror film” – a remake of the 1922 silent classic inspired by the 1897 novel Dracula – and noted that critics’ reviews were outstanding.
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The ensemble cast includes Bill Skarsgard, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe and Nicholas Hoult.
Universal’s musical fantasy Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, earned US$31.7 million for five days (US$19.5 million for the three days) as the latest spin on the magical world of Oz slipped one spot to fourth place. Its global earnings now stand at US$634 million.
Disney’s animated Moana 2 had an estimated US$28.3 million in ticket sales for five days (US$18.2 million for three das), slipping one spot but holding on to top-five status for the fifth straight week.
Meanwhile, Searchlight Pictures’ A Complete Unknown, with Timothee Chalamet portraying an enigmatic Bob Dylan during the dizzying years that propelled the singer-songwriter from anonymity to world fame, took in a solid US$23.3 million for five days (US$11.6 million for three days). Dylan himself has described Chalamet as a “brilliant actor”.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
- Babygirl (US$7.2 million for five days, US$4.4 million for three);
- Gladiator II (US$5.9 million; US$4.2 million);
- Homestead (US$5.3 million; US$3.2 million); and
- The Fire Inside (S$4.3 million; US$2 million).
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