The box office saw a wild battle as both Disney’s Mufasa and Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 compete as each studio proclaims box office leadership for holiday weekend. Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 gained 38 million dollars over three day holiday weekend while Disney's Mufasa totaled close at 37 million dollars. Disney’s Mufasa after calculating five days including December 25th Christmas day plus December 26th daily gross then beat Sonic taking a total of 63.7 million however official Disney numbers are not finalized.
Close Competition and Shared Success at Theaters During Christmas Holiday Weekend
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 earned 13.5 million on Saturday whereas Mufasa generated close to an estimated 13.3 million, illustrating a neck and neck competition for family film superiority. Despite similar demo potential for both titles multiple family movie titles generated significant revenue such as Universal's Wicked and Disney's Moana 2 continuing strong viewership numbers after the prior Thanksgiving holiday releases. This Christmas did not suffer as other similar demos did as movies saw an increase as total three day box office reached 161 million a significant increase to previous year’s weekend numbers and even greater percentage growth to prior holiday weekends as detailed by Deadline.
Christmas Week Box Office Comparison Reveals Mixed Performance When Stacked Against Prior Holiday Sales
Box Office Mojo confirmed total Christmas week generated 263 million dollars from December 20-26 down 6% in earnings to previous year which totalled at 279.9 million when Christmas fell on a Monday demonstrating difference in holiday earnings. The last time that Christmas fell on a Wednesday in 2019 prior to the start of Covid, Disney and Lucasfilm released Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker which generated an extremely massive total 485.5 million in box office with over 60% attributed to this title alone highlighting the difference from pre-covid to current earning capabilities. This was also a movie that J.J. Abrams specifically produced creating much anticipation and revenue among all groups that visited the theater at the time..
'Wicked' Surpasses 'Mamma Mia' As Top Grossing Stage Musical Adaptation With Worldwide Success
Jon M. Chu’s movie Wicked became the number one Broadway stage musical adaptation as it beat Mamma Mia in global box office gross this weekend with over 634.379 million total gross. PostTrak polls show that Wicked heavily appealed to older women over the age of twenty five at 48% while also attracting younger demographics showing at 7% for those 13-17 but the appeal spanned multi generations showing a broad viewing experience that engaged a large swath of fans in different age categories. The studio was also considering removing this movie from PVOD to allow for continued screenings given its successful surge of plus 36% for the three day window and is the highest grossing theatrical stage musical ever recorded making its success historically significant.
'Moana 2' and 'Nosferatu' Both Demonstrate Significant Box Office Revenue After Holiday Releases
Disney’s Moana 2 saw an impressive 18.3 million dollar gross during its fifth week with strong growth across many locations. Focus Features’ Nosferatu a horror movie performed strongly taking 21.1 million over three day window and over 40.3 million total revenue with its initial five days of showing making this their 4th highest opening ever. Downton Abbey holds first at 31 million opening but with post-covid financial models Nosferatu's success is very significant showcasing the studio’s capability for production quality releases especially given restrictions on theatrical release and quick home release windows and restrictions. 2023 Saw Focus Features movies mostly at the 18 day home PVOD release windows except two title which lasted for 32 days giving greater control of studios financial distribution models .
'Nosferatu's Audience Demographics and Influence Analysis Highlight Success After Movie Release
Audiences attended Nosferatu due to the movie’s horror elements which made 48% the top factor also being a fan of director Robert Eggers (32%) and the combination of fanged monster with pretty characters which made the movie appear interesting and fun 33%. Social media marketing made 22% of poll respondants buy movie tickets with friends or family recommendation accounting for 16% with in theater trailers resulting in 11% for all moviegoers polled. The core of ticket buyers at the theater included 41% men over the age of 25 as 33% for women over the age of 25 showing interest with younger demos not as significant . The movie garnered a strong audience approval from viewers aged 25-34 plus those that ranged from 35-44.
Searchlight's 'A Complete Unknown' With Walk-Up Audience and Positive Demographic Responses
Searchlight’s A Complete Unknown made a three day gross revenue of an estimated 11.6 million with a five day 23.2 million dollars and showing large percentage of walk ups being at 62%. Those are Searchlight's top numbers as Disney’s subsidiary since 2019 merger and Covid disruption. This movie succeeded because people came specifically for it as those surveyed indicated a strong pull for Bob Dylan movie at 53% with Timothée Chalamet adding 36% ticket purchases. The remainder came for overall casting choice that included Monica Barbaro Elle Fanning and Edward Norton showing great diversity of actor selections.. There was a 50/50 gender breakdown on PostTrak with positive feedback being given from the female 42% of survey participants giving the best grade at 94% as this gender demographic resonated most deeply with themes of the movie..
'Mufasa' and 'Sonic' Clash For Holiday Domination After 'Nosferatu' and 'Complete Unknown' Set Record Highs
Mufasa and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 competed on Thursday for first place showing Mufasa grossed 12 million against Sonic which saw just under 11.55 million for the one day earnings but projections continue to favor Mufasa which is estimated at 58 million gross against Sonic with 99.55 million. Focus Features also saw big success when Nosferatu posted 21.4 million after three days and over 40 million gross after five days making it the studio's best ever post pandemic release beating prior records. . Similar praise came for Searchlight and A Complete Unknown that posted 12 million and 24 million over three and five days, also a top result since their merger and pandemic disruptions that changed viewer habits. Robert Eggers made great showing in the opening with his movie beating records from previous titles.
Focus and Searchlight Experience a Positive Trend With Non-Franchise Adult Themed Movie Releases
The success of A Complete Unknown and Nosferatu demonstrated that studios like Focus Features can also release hit movies outside of standard franchise films during a market where streaming continues to threaten mid-sized production projects. Nosferatu used the traditional elements of the tried-and true horror genre to succeed especially in the hands of director Robert Eggers along with other talent similar to Ari Aster in connecting with the Gen Z and Millennial demos between ages 18 to 34 at 56%. The movie A Complete Unknown connects with the core audience who are adults over 35 at 62% that show interest in this movie of an older icon using strong leadership from director in generating warmth to complex situations showcasing why these films are finding financial and critical support among various demographic groups .
These results contrast other holiday openings last year for films like The Boys in the Boat, Ferrari, The Iron Claw, and The Color Purple that struggled in earnings highlighting that movies with known IP have greater success across the board compared to less established projects during large movie going events with greater box office results across all groups. Release time can create very successful results when coinciding with when people traditionally go out demonstrating timing is crucial in earnings with this Christmas holiday providing many studios the financial boost and data to project further movie development plans for 2025 as reported by Universal Studios.
Universal’s Wicked brought in 6.89 million and fourth position showing in theatres with gross total for all showtimes reaching a remarkable 404.7 million to date. Moana 2 generated another five day income grossing an additional 27 million to its running total. A24’s Babygirl had another 1.3 million with limited theatrical showings and lower attendance . The Fire Inside by Amazon generated over 600k for their theatrical showings and continued with revenue to bring 4.3 million to its five-day outlook, showcasing lower levels of revenue with less marketing. .
'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' and 'Mufasa' Face International Competition; 'Nosferatu' Set For UK Release on January 1st 2025
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 topped UK and Ireland’s box office revenue generating 14.7 million dollars on its opening weekend according to Comscore which has been a strong international performing area. Mufasa: The Lion King came second adding 4.2 million totaling 12.6 million in the UK and Ireland region as a whole. Universal’s Wicked maintained its ranking holding third with 2.7 million totaling to 53 million in the U.K. market demonstrating strong interest internationally for both film productions. Disney's Moana 2 added 2.2 million in the region and totaled 33.7 million during its fifth showing highlighting that families tend to go to those movies despite strong competition for top box office spots in U.K. markets. Many family based titles do well as they attract multi-generational viewers that support overall sales totals . The first week of January 2025 will include movie releases such as Universal’s Nosferatu, Studiocanal’s We Live In Time, and Altitude Film Distribution’s 2073. Other mid week releases will be present as well for international market.