The 2024 Holiday season displayed the power of family films at the box office. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa : The Lion King competed for the top spot at box office s achieving respective earnings of 59.8 million dollars and 63.9 million dollars during the 5 day Christmas holiday period . Moana 2 and Wicked two films released around Thanksgiving also sustained success in movie theatres displaying the trend of strong preference for family-oriented projects.
'Inside Out 2' Tops 2024 Box Office Chart Showing Popularity For PG Family Films Among Movie Audiences
Inside Out 2 which debuted in June became the leading film of 2024 surpassing even Deadpool & Wolverine. Despicable Me 4 came in at third place showing how animated films captured top spots Moana 2 was placed fourth along with Wicked at the sixth spot clearly showing the immense success of PG movies . Kung Fu Panda 4 ranked among top ten at eighth. The Wild Robot The Garfield Movie and IF also each made over 100 million dollars within the United States demonstrating broad popularity of family movies however Harold and the Purple Crayon experienced low sales amid those many successes.
Upcoming 2025 Kid-Friendly Movie Lineup Highlights Growing Focus on Childrens Entertainment in the Industry
Hollywood studios already planned many kid friendly movies after observing 2024 movie going trends including Dog Man set for release in theaters on January 31 2025. The graphic novel series Dog Man from Dav Pilkey will come to big screens with actors like Pete Davidson voicing Petey the Cat character . Paddington in Peru set for release on February 14th 2025 delayed its debut from 2024 to avoid competing with movies Moana 2 Sonic 3 Mufasa at the box office in USA but released earlier to successful returns in the UK. The Snow White live action remake starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot releases March 21st of 2025 despite some production controversies over use of CGI characters many think this will be another box office success given the story's broad familiarity and name recognition.
The Minecraft Movie based on the video game that attracts 204 million players a month is slated for April 4 2025 with a main cast like Jack Black Emma Myers and Jason Momoa expected to draw in many viewers for release . Lilo & Stitch a Disney animated franchise gets a live-action treatment set for May 23rd of 2025 that will include Zach Galifianakis plus Hannah Waddingham as part of voice acting. Dean Fleischer Camp from Marcel the Shell With Shoes On directed this new live action remake using CGI. The animated trilogy of How to Train Your Dragon will also see a live-action adaptation in theaters June 13 2025. Pixar's Elio releases the same day and is set to feature Zoe Saldana Brad Garrett and Jameela Jamil who will act as the voices in movie and the film revolves around the life of a young space fanatic who accidentally goes to outer space.The Bad Guys 2 releases in theatres on August 1 2025 continuing the graphic novel animated adventure of an animal criminal gang as they deal with their attempt at “good” behavior.
Second Installment of Musical "Wicked" Plus 'Zootopia' Sequel and Fourth 'Spongebob Movie' Round Out The 2025 Film Season
Wicked For Good is planned to release in theaters November 21 of 2025 just before Thanksgiving featuring original talent such as Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande with big expectations of massive numbers. The sequel to Zootopia in 2016 is now releasing November 26th 2025 following the characters Judy Hopps voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin plus Nick Wilde voiced by Jason Bateman. A new SpongeBob Movie titled The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants is coming out December 19 of 2025 that stars the show's signature character and travels the sea facing the Flying Dutchman voiced by Mark Hamill.
'Sonic 3' and 'Mufasa' Vie For Top Spot As Overall Christmas Box Office Revenue Sees Rise
Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 took in 38 million dollars while Disney’s Mufasa totaled approximately 37 million dollars on the typical three-day weekend however Mufasa was stronger after a later increase of earnings across Christmas Day and December 26. Mufasa led with 63.7 million over the 5 day period while final numbers from Disney still remain unavailable however many early reports still expect that Mufasa still maintains overall revenue for a 5 day period over Christmas weekend in 2024. Movie theatres were able to attract crowds to the four family-friendly options indicating a trend for audiences seeking to see these styles of projects with movies Moana 2 and Wicked being included. Box office revenue reached 161 million with an amazing 43% increase compared to the prior year at the time of New Year's Eve and over 56% greater than the 2022 total when Avatar was dominant in its ticket sales due to the lack of movie options during Covid.
Christmas Holiday Box Office Revenue Dips Compared to Last Year As Musical Adaptation Achieves Record Breaking Revenue
The total Christmas week sales December 20 -26 hit 263 million however a 6% dip from last year that garnered approximately 280 million dollars that was because Christmas fell on a Monday providing more time at the box offices during holiday season. The film “Wicked” became the leading stage musical movie at the global box offices with earnings surpassing Mamma Mia grossing a total of 634.379 million dollars showing incredible reach of musical genres into global markets. “Wicked” had a target demographic including mainly women over 25 and had a huge 36 percent growth in earnings by 19.2 million during its 6th showing reaching 423.9 million overall total in gross revenue.
Holdovers Moana 2 Nosferatu plus Post-Covid Box Office Trends Show Potential for Independent Movies
Moana 2 had an 18.3 million revenue weekend with overall earnings around 28.3 million overall. Focus Features’ Nosferatu which is a dark gothic remake reached a 21.1 million mark after the three day release and a 40.3 million across its 5 day period showing great success with a fourth highest opening for Focus after Downton Abbey Insidious 3 and London Has Fallen. Many feel it has created hope for a comeback for the Focus Feature studio even with other Covid restrictions being taken off from the studios rules regarding movies at Focus Feature Studios in 2023. PostTrack polls shows 48% chose horror as genre followed by 32% chose Robert Eggers directing as a reason to see this film showcasing that people came due to directors talent in specific areas of movie making.
Searchlight's 'A Complete Unknown' Achieves Impressive Debut With Strong Response from Both Fans and Critics Alike
Searchlight’s A Complete Unknown experienced an estimated 11.6 million dollar 3-day debut and a 23.2 million 5 day take in the box offices with a majority showing up same-day indicating an interest across different age groups. The numbers are the greatest that Searchlight studio has experienced after 2019 merger with Disney. A 53% audience was reported as going because of interest in Bob Dylan with 36% citing actor Timothée Chalamet. Audiences above 25 gave better feedback than other groups that demonstrates adult audiences show a more keen engagement for the film. Post Covid numbers show that art films might still make comeback if given appropriate treatment with regards to production elements as movie houses provide avenues of distribution. A comparison with other adult style films such as The Boys in the Boat shows clear success this period given how others have not reached this amount during same time previous years.
'Wicked' and 'Moana 2' Hold Their Ground While Nosferatu Receives Sold Out Alamo Showing
Universal’s Wicked had a 6.89 million dollar intake yesterday reaching the total revenue to 404.7 million and showing its ability to cross the 400 million benchmark in revenues during its showing period. The 5-day estimate is showing a 35.5 million earning rate as more viewers flock to the shows during end-of-year period. Disney’s Moana 2 saw a 27 million over five days which includes an earning of 5.7 million dollars yesterday along with total earning of 376.2 million by end of this reporting cycle. The Alamo Draft House in Yonkers New York has sold out of showing of Nosferatu further showing its draw.
Overseas Market Success: "Sonic," "Mufasa," "Wicked" Plus 'Paddington in Peru' Draw Significant International Audience
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 gained first ranking in the U.K. and Ireland making approximately 14.7 million dollars opening weekend . Mufasa: The Lion King secured second spot for its second weekend amassing an approximate 5 million dollars with gross sales at approximately 16 million dollars in that market. Wicked remained in third in overseas markets securing 3 million in sales reaching approximately 64.6 million overall totals. Moana 2 achieved another 2 million while the film grossed 37 million in total revenue internationally in sales. Other titles such as Paddington in Peru and Gladiator 2 plus Baby John created their own presence in different parts of global movie markets.
Upcoming releases include Nosferatu We Live in Time and 2073 on January 1 2025 as well as Vanangaan and Game Changer for mid week showings alongside a release of Nickel Boys and Diabel. This global release schedule provides numerous opportunities to increase revenue across international box office markets.