‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic 3’ rule first weekend of 2025

The Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa” claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.

The photorealistic “Lion King” prequel earned US$23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn’t far behind.

“Sonic 3” stayed close with a 3-day estimate of US$21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to US$187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross US$1 billion worldwide. “Mufasa’s” running total is slightly less, with US$169.2 million.

In third place, Focus Features’ “Nosferatu” remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable. “Nosferatu,” which added 140 screens, claimed US$13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to US$69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of US$50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).

No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, “Moana 2,” claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another US$12.4 million, bumping its global total to US$960.5 million.

The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in US$8.1 million. With US$41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in 2019.

A24’s erotic drama “Babygirl," which added 49 locations, held steady at US$4.5 million.

Another Thanksgiving leftover, “Wicked,” rounded out the top five. Universal’s movie musical was made available to purchase on VOD on Jan. 31, but still earned another US$10.2 million from theaters. The movie is up for several awards at Sunday’s Golden Globes, including nominations for Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, best motion picture musical or comedy and “cinematic and box office achievement,” which last year went to “Barbie.”

Also in theaters this weekend was the IMAX re-release of David Fincher’s 4K restoration of “Seven,” which earned just over US$1 million from 200 locations.

The 2025 box office year is already off to a better start than 2024, up around 20% from the same weekend last year.

Final domestic figures will be released Monday. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” US$23.8 million.
2. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” US$21.2 million.
3. “Nosferatu,” US$13.2 million.
4. “Moana 2,” US$12.4 million.
5. “Wicked,” US$10.2 million.
6. “A Complete Unknown,” US$8.1 million.
7. “Babygirl,” US$4.5 million.
8. “Gladiator II,” US$2.7 million.
9. “Homestead,” US$2.1 million.
10. “The Fire Inside,” US$1.2 million.