Jim Carrey plays Ivo Robotnik in a scene from Sonic the Hedgehog 3.Paramount Pictures and Sega of America/The Associated Press
Two family films dominated the holiday box office this week, with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 winning the three-day weekend over Mufasa by a blue hair.
Paramount’s Sonic movie earned $38-million, while Mufasa brought in $37.1-million from theatres in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday. On a normal weekend counting Friday, Saturday and Sunday ticket purchases, the winner would be somewhat clear. But when the Christmas holiday falls on a Wednesday as it did this year, the studios look at two sets of numbers: The five-day earnings and the three-day weekend earnings. With the five-day tally, The Walt Disney Co.’s Mufasa had the edge, bringing in $63.8-million.
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It all adds up to a rather robust theatrical landscape, helped by the continued success of Wicked and Moana 2, which are on their sixth and fifth weekends, respectively.
The vampire horror Nosferatu also debuted fairly triumphantly. Robert Eggers’ modern reimagining of a 1922 silent film starring Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp rose to the top of a starry batch of Christmas Day newcomers, which included the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, with Timothée Chalamet; the erotic drama Babygirl with Nicole Kidman; and The Fire Inside, about boxer Claressa Shields.
Nosferatu landed in third place with $21.2-million from the weekend and $40.3-million from its first five days. Not accounting for inflation, it had the best Christmas Day opening ever for a genre film, with $11.6-million (besting The Faculty’s $4.4-million in 1998). Focus Features released the R-rated film in 2,992 theatres.
The Bob Dylan movie, directed by James Mangold, also got off to a bright start with $11.6-million over the weekend and $23.2-million since Christmas. The 5-day total is a record for Searchlight Pictures since Disney acquired the company in early 2019. It’s been well received by both critics (96% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (A on CinemaScore) and will likely get more of a boost from the awards race.
Babygirl, an A24 release from filmmaker Halina Reijn, played on 2115 screens, earning $4.4-million over the weekend and $7.2-million since Christmas. The film stars Kidman as a married, buttoned-up CEO who begins an affair with a young intern at the company, played by Harris Dickinson. Kidman won the best acting prize for her performance at the Venice Film Festival.
The Fire Inside, from Amazon MGM Studios, meanwhile got a bit lost in the mix despite strong reviews. It has earned a total of $4.3-million, with $2-million coming from weekend showings where it played in 2006 theatres.
Thanksgiving releases continued to perform well through the Christmas timeframe. Fourth place went to Wicked, which earned another $19.5-million, bringing its domestic total to $424.2-million. On Tuesday, the lavish movie musical will also be available to rent or purchase at home. It’s a move that has drawn some critics who believe making it available at home after only 40 days in theatres will cannibalize profits.
Moana 2 rounded out the top five films this weekend with $18.2 million. The Disney movie has made $882.5-million globally and is closing in on $400-million domestically.