During the Christmas weekend, Mufasa: Le Roi Lion and Sonic 3 dominated the North American box office, with strong performances by Disney and Paramount. Other notable entries included Nosferatu and Wicked, closing the year with remarkable revenues.
The legendary Mufasa, father of Simba from The Lion King, and the famous blue hedgehog Sonic are competing for the top spot at the North American box office this Christmas week, according to Sunday estimates from Exhibitor Relations.
The animated films by entertainment giants Disney and Paramount have dominated the U.S. and Canadian box office rankings since December 25.
Disney’s hyperrealistic feature film Mufasa: The Lion King, which explores the life of Simba’s father, secured first place over the five-day period from Christmas Wednesday to Sunday, with estimated earnings of $63.8 million.
Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 closely trails the king of the savannah, earning $59.9 million over the same five days. However, the speedy blue hedgehog took the lead over the traditional weekend (Friday to Sunday) with $38 million compared to Mufasa's $37.1 million.
Overall, this year-end weekend delivered "strong, if not record-breaking, numbers," said industry expert David Gross. "The next seven days are expected to perform exceptionally well," he added.
The gothic tale Nosferatu, a recent release, landed in third place. This dark and eerie story features actress and model Lily-Rose Depp as a young woman trapped under the spell of a vampire.
The film, which also stars Nicholas Hoult and Willem Dafoe, amassed $40.3 million over the five days, including more than $21 million during the weekend alone. "A remarkable start for a new horror movie," commented Gross.
In fourth place is Wicked, a big-screen adaptation of the famous Broadway musical inspired by The Wizard of Oz. Recently entering the race for the Golden Globes, the musical brought in more than $31.7 million over five days.
Rounding out the top five is Disney's animated feature Moana 2, which marks the return of the beloved Polynesian heroine. The film has earned approximately $28.3 million since December 25.
Rounding out the top ten films, A Perfect Stranger claimed the sixth spot with $23.2 million in total earnings since December 25, including $11.6 million over the weekend. In seventh place, Babygirl brought in $7.2 million over the five days, with $4.4 million from the weekend.
Gladiator II secured the eighth position with $5.9 million in total earnings, including $4.2 million over the weekend, while Homestead followed in ninth place with $5.3 million overall and $3.2 million from the weekend. Completing the list, The Fire Inside earned $4.3 million over the five-day period, with $2 million from the weekend alone.
With AFP
Comments