Mufasa and Sonic claim North America box office supremacy over holiday weekend

Los Angeles, California - The holiday weekend in North America saw two films battling for box-office supremacy and both emerging with a claim to first place.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (l.) and Mufasa: The Lion King were the highest grossing films in North American box offices over the holiday weekend.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (l.) and Mufasa: The Lion King were the highest grossing films in North American box offices over the holiday weekend.  © Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Press & IMAGO / Capital Pictures

Disney's animated drama Mufasa: The Lion King prevailed in the five days from Christmas Day through Sunday with an estimated take of $63.8 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

But Paramount's action comedy Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which booked $59.9 million for that same five-day holiday period, came out on top for the traditional Friday-through-Sunday stretch, edging the Disney film by $38 million to $37.1 million.

Overall, the weekend generated "big, although not record-breaking box office" numbers, said analyst David A. Gross, adding that "the next seven days should be excellent."

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New vampire pic Nosferatu from Focus Features also posted impressive numbers, with $40.3 million for the five-day period and $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 are outstanding.

The ensemble cast includes Bill Skarsgard, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, and Nicholas Hoult.

More movies rake in millions

Wicked earned $31.7 million for five days over the holidays.
Wicked earned $31.7 million for five days over the holidays.  © IMAGO / Picturelux

Universal's musical fantasy Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, earned $31.7 million for five days ($19.5 million for three) as the latest spin on the magical world of Oz slipped one spot to fourth place. Its global earnings now stand at $634 million.

And Disney's animated Moana 2 had an estimated $28.3 million in ticket sales for five days ($18.2 million for three), slipping one spot but holding on to top-five status for the fifth straight week.

Meantime, 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 $23.3 million for five days ($11.6 million for three). Dylan himself has described Chalamet as a "brilliant actor."

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Rounding out the top 10 were:

Babygirl ($7.2 million for five days, $4.4 million for three)

Gladiator II ($5.9 million; $4.2 million)

Homestead ($5.3 million; $3.2 million)

The Fire Inside ($4.3 million; $2 million)

Will you be heading to the movie theaters this holiday season?

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Press & IMAGO / Capital Pictures

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