“Comeback” is the theme of the first weekend of the 2025 box office, as Disney’s “Mufasa” has come back from a poor opening weekend to take the No. 1 spot on the charts while Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series has come back from a seemingly fatal initial trailer five years ago to reach $1 billion in global grosses across three films.
“Mufasa” shed 175 screens in its third weekend but still held its drop to 35% from last weekend for a $24 million No. 1 total and a $168.7 million domestic cume. It is the first time the “Lion King” prequel has reached the top spot for the Fri.-Sun. period, having been edged out by “Sonic 3” by roughly $200,000 last weekend while leading the extended 5-day period that included Christmas Day.
With $476 million grossed worldwide, “Mufasa” should be able to clear $650 million worldwide and possibly reach $700 million if it can eke out a big more than currently projected. That would put the film in the same final range as Universal’s “Wicked,” which has reached $681 million worldwide from a big November opening and long legs domestically while “Mufasa” is getting there thanks primarily to overseas play while it quietly builds to a $200 million-plus domestic total.
“Sonic 3” is in second this weekend with $21.6 million, putting it in position with $187.9 million domestic to pass the $190.8 million North American total of “Sonic 2” on Monday and the $405 million global total of that 2022 predecessor by next weekend.
More importantly for Paramount, it pushes the lifetime grosses of the “Sonic” series past $1 billion. It’s a remarkable five-year rebound for a series that seemed DOA after fans resounding rejected the initial design of the Blue Blur, leading to a famed redesign that realigned him with his famous look in the Sega games. As “Sonic 3” continues its push for $500 million worldwide, a fourth installment is now in early development for a 2027 release.
In third is Focus Features’ “Nosferatu,” which is continuing to win over horror fans with $13.2 million. After two weekends, Robert Eggers’ vampire film has earned $69.2 million, enough to put it among the top 5 highest grossing films ever for Focus Features before inflation and among the top 10 after inflation as it makes a bid to become the third horror film released in 2024 to gross $100 million in North America, joining “A Quiet Place: Day One” and “Alien: Romulus.”
In fourth is Disney’s “Moana 2,” which is now on the threshold of $1 billion worldwide after making $12.4 million in its sixth weekend, bringing its total to $425 million domestic and $960 million worldwide. When it crosses that mark, it will be the third Disney release of 2024 to do so, joining Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2.”
“Wicked” completes the top 5 with $10.2 million, bringing it past $450 million in domestic grosses as it dropped more than 40% for only the second time in its run. The musical’s release on premium on-demand likely helped contribute to this, though it will still cross $700 million worldwide by next week.
Outside the top 5, Searchlight’s “A Complete Unknown” is in sixth, adding $8 million in its second weekend. With $41.6 million grossed, it is Searchlight’s highest grossing film since its acquisition by Disney in 2019, but still needs to leg out to turn a theatrical profit against its $70 million budget. With three Golden Globes nominations and a chance at several top Oscar nominations, it will have a chance to get there over the course of January.
Elsewhere among Globes nominees, A24’s “Babygirl” earned $4.5 million in its second weekend, bringing its total to $16.1 million against a $20 million budget. The indie distributor is also completing the limited release run of “The Brutalist,” grossing $244,341 from eight screens for a weekend-best average of $30,542. With $1.17 million grossed so far, “The Brutalist” will expand into select cities next weekend ahead of a nationwide rollout on Jan. 17, when Oscar nominations will be announced.
