Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King engaged in a tough box office battle for number one throughout the week trading the top spots on several occasions. Both films performed very well attracting a broad audience in this year's lucrative Christmas movie release period. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 grossed approximately 38 million between Friday and Sunday to surpass 135 million domestically however that title dropped to number two after a strong opening . Mufasa similarly showed strong performances taking the number one position after grossing around 60 million globally across the extended Christmas five day timeframe.
Mufasa earned 37 million domestically between Friday and Sunday roughly the same as its previous weeks earning as the Disney title surpasses 110 million in total domestic revenue and with its worldwide total approaching 300 million. Despite both titles successes the titles also had to compete with the releases of several newcomers that all received strong critic reviews during this holiday period.
Robert Eggers' 'Nosferatu' and Bob Dylan Biopic 'A Complete Unknown' Launch Strongly Above Predictions
Focus Features released Robert Eggers' new horror film titled Nosferatu during the busy release period achieving over 40 million over the five day Christmas holiday and grossing approximately 20 million over the traditional three day weekend while opening on Christmas Day. Nosferatu marks the highest-grossing film for the director and it performed best of all titles in the Focus Features studio history. The film holds a rating of 86% from Rotten Tomatoes while Collider's Jeff Ewing called Nosferatu the best overall horror movie of 2024. The movie claims number three position in total gross earnings during debut weekend and is projected to earn 100 million in domestic box office earnings.
A Complete Unknown a Bob Dylan biopic directed by James Mangold featuring Timothée Chalamet debuted with strong success in 6th spot. The film garnered over 23 million dollars in its opening weekend with over 11 million collected on traditional Friday through Sunday timeframe receiving a highly positive audience reception. This movie was the second-largest debut in Searchlight Studio's history since their 2009 film Notorious demonstrating how well received it was among varied audience demographics. Also debuting over the extended holiday weekend the erotic drama Babygirl starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson earned around 7 million dollars.
Holdover Hits 'Wicked' and 'Moana 2' Maintain Strong Box Office Performance Before Digital Releases
Wicked secured the fourth spot generating 32 million dollars during Christmas which increased its overall total domestic earning to almost 425 million dollars . After five weeks since opening the movie Wicked surpassed 600 million dollar earnings worldwide making it the third-biggest film of 2024. The title will launch on digital platforms within the coming days from publication. Moana 2 claimed fifth position making around 28 million across the five-day Christmas timeframe with a running domestic total almost reaching 400 million dollars and now totaling one month since it first appeared in theaters. Moana 2 has made almost 900 million dollars globally putting it on pace to potentially pass 1 billion in revenue for Disney.
Box Office Success and High Reviews For 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' and Potential for 'Moana 2' to Pass 1 Billion
Mufasa gained a higher revenue over Christmas week with a 63.9 million dollar revenue but it had also taken second place to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 previously in it's initial debut. Sonic 3 narrowly passed the 60 million dollar mark with domestic revenue totaling 137.5 million and 211 million globally with critics and audiences both liking the newest version. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 may outpace it's two earlier movies with positive feedback for the new addition making it an incredible financial venture for Paramount. Mufasa is projected to hit 1 billion with continued positive revenue growth internationally alongside strong box office performance.
Emergence of Adult Oriented Indie Films Such As 'Nosferatu' and 'A Complete Unknown' Show Post-Pandemic Market Rebound
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu performed well with strong critic approval proving adult oriented films in general do very well over holiday weekend as it had high revenue of 40.3 million since opening . Both Nosferatu and James Mangold's Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown achieved high earning and good reviews making a strong rebound for indie films during the holiday season with A Complete Unknown making 23.2 million during holiday weekend. A24's Babygirl earned around 7 million showcasing high profile talent with an erotic thriller genre also demonstrating interest in diverse film selection by consumers .
The film marketing and distributions are important to how well each film might perform at box office however the holiday release on Wednesday is an added advantage that allowed for a full extended weekend to garner more revenues. Nosferatu which is described by reviewers as a classy upscale period piece performed with 21.5 million over three day holiday with 40.3 million over 5-day Christmas weekend breaking prior horror genre movie records in the box office showing genre interest . Nosferatu’s strong opening indicates many audience members went to see the movie as quickly as possible and made early ticket purchase decision before their visit.
Demographics and Theater Attendance Reveal Broad Audience Appeal for New Releases
Approximately sixty-five percent of Nosferatu moviegoers consisted of demographics between 18 and 34 showing very targeted genre-interest combined with a general audience demographic spanning diverse viewing groups including both men and women with the largest number attending were Caucasian with Latin population following second most for attendance. Many fans attended at late show viewings using IMAX or large format venues to watch this popular title showcasing the unique theatrical movie viewing experiences audiences are looking for. New York and Los Angeles theaters also had increased foot traffic from those who wanted to see a 35mm showing including at the Alamo Drafthouses which brought attention to the importance of small and independent movie theaters to the culture.
Searchlight promoted A Complete Unknown using tie-ins and collaborations with clothing brands like Levi's with instrument brand Gibson and also with Bob Dylan's whiskey brand Heaven's Door creating a very holistic marketing push over many months and helping get film distributed widely . A Complete Unknown also expanded to almost 150 additional Imax theaters after the previous limited previews at start. Many movie fans were attracted due to love for Bob Dylan combined with the talent of Chalamet while biopics are trending during the current film era. Theaters in New York Los Angeles and Minneapolis plus coastal cities like San Francisco and West Palm Beach all experienced significant success showcasing all film fans.
Other specialty openings include Baby John Bloody Axe Wound, plus Oscar entries such as Vermiglio, Santosh, and 2073 which added to the diverse array of films during the holiday season proving movie diversity can succeed with right marketing and engagement tactics. Angel Studios’ Homestead, from previous week grossed 3.19 million in week 2 at almost 1800 locations for approximately 13 million dollars while the A24 movie The Brutalist added new locations and making 203k adding to a gross total of 687k. Movie titles that were from previous weeks saw an overall steady box office which helped boost industry performance .
Positive Holiday Box Office Trends Contribute To Post Pandemic Theatrical Rebound
The current market shows a very small 3.5 % difference between total box office revenues vs same period last year. The holiday falling mid-week allowed theaters opportunity to draw audiences over extended weekends where indie and adult oriented titles have helped increase revenue generation for many local theaters. The market demonstrates recovery from previous year sales decline . With a diverse set of offerings including new films alongside older titles the current movie market is proving positive overall engagement with many varied films, studios, directors and audiences.