Box Office: ‘Mufasa’ Rebounds, Wins Christmas Day Ahead of ‘Sonic 3’ and ‘Nosferatu’

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As a film enthusiast with over two decades of cinema-going under my belt, I must say that the holiday season has truly outdone itself this year! The box office is abuzz with new releases and old favorites alike, and it’s a feast for the eyes.

Initially, Disney’s movie “Mufasa: The Lion King” was widely considered a flop following its defeat by Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” over the weekend. However, the situation shifted dramatically on Wednesday when families had more time to go to the cinema as holiday obligations lessened, leading to increased ticket sales for “Mufasa: The Lion King.

Over the Christmas holiday, Mufasa took the number one spot with an impressive $15 million earnings, while filmmaker Robert Egger’s latest production, the celebrity-filled vampire movie titled Nosferatu, came in second with a promising $11.6 million. Sonic 3 rounded out the top three with $10.7 million in sales.

The supernatural horror film, “Nosferatu,” is projected to earn approximately $40 million over a five-day period, placing it third behind “Mufasa” and Sonic. This surpasses initial expectations, as anything above $20 million would already be considered a success. Predicting box office performance at this early stage can be challenging, so these figures are subject to change. The film features the talents of Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Bill Skarsgård under the direction of Robert Eggers.

Mufasa is projected to earn over $50 million within five days, and Sonic 3 aims for a similar figure. Currently, Mufasa has nearly reached $200 million in total earnings worldwide, with most competitors trailing behind at this point.

Many additional films, including those vying for awards, debuted nationwide on Christmas Day. They were aiming to profit from the extended five-day holiday period (from Wednesday to Sunday) as 2024 drew to a close. The box office has experienced positive trends during the year’s end, with the gap compared to last year decreasing significantly – falling from 11% in mid-November to just 4% currently. The surge at the box office began over Thanksgiving, thanks to the powerful mix of movies like Moana 2, Wicked, and Gladiator II.

As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but share the excitement about Timothée Chalamet’s exceptional movie, “A Complete Unknown,” which raked in an impressive $7.2 million on a Wednesday! It seems that older cinema enthusiasts couldn’t resist witnessing the Bob Dylan biopic. With Golden Globe nominations under his belt and more accolades likely to come from this project, the film could potentially earn over $22 million in just five days – a fantastic start and exceeding expectations!

The highly anticipated movie “Babygirl” by A24, featuring Nicole Kidman, is projected to rake in $7 million over five days, following its earnings of $1.7 million on Wednesday. Meanwhile, A24 is also managing the awards contender “The Brutalist,” which opted for a traditional platform release strategy, premiering in six locations this weekend instead of a nationwide debut.

Amazon Studios, under the banner of MGM, is anticipating a five-day opening for their film A Fire Inside, written by Barry Jenkins, to rake in approximately $6 million. Previously, A Complete Unknown had a sneak peek showing in more than Imax theaters on December 18th.

More to come.

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2024-12-26 20:55