Disney’s live-action remake of “The Lion King” prequel, “Mufasa,” dominated the holiday box office with $12 million on Thursday, bringing its domestic haul to $76.4 million. The film, directed by Barry Jenkins and costing $200 million to produce, started slowly but seems to be gaining traction among Christmas crowds.
Its expected earnings of $58 million over the five-day holiday period will boost Disney’s end-of-year box office performance. In contrast, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” earned $11.5 million on Thursday, bringing its domestic gross to $99.5 million.
Other notable releases include Focus Features’ “Nosferatu,” an elevated horror film that earned $7.6 million in North America after two days of release, and Searchlight’s “A Complete Unknown,” a Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet.
Amazon MGM Studios’ “The Fire Inside” earned $613,000 on Thursday, with an expected gross of $36 million over its first five days in theaters. The film, directed by Rachel Morrison, stars Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry. Universal’s “Wicked” and Disney’s “Moana 2” rounded out the top five spots.
The success of these films will be crucial in attracting older ticket buyers amidst a competitive holiday season.
Source: https://variety.com/2024/film/news/mufasa-thursday-box-office-the-brutalist-nosferatu-complete-unknown-1236260705