‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic 3’ dominate the first weekend at the box office of 2025

Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa” took the top spot at the North American box office in the first weekend of 2025.

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

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

In third place, Focus Features’ remake of “Nosferatu” defied the fate of so many of its predecessors in the genre and fell just 39% in its second weekend. Horror films usually drop sharply after the first weekend and a drop of less than 50% is notable.

“Nosferatu,” which added 140 screens, brought in $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its cumulative total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, has already exceeded its reported production budget by $50 million, although that figure does not take into account marketing and promotional expenses.

No new wide releases opened this weekend, once again leaving the box office top 10 to remnants of previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of them, “Moana 2,” earned fourth place for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel grossed an additional $12.4 million, bringing its worldwide total to $960.5 million.

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

A24’s erotic drama “Babygirl,” which added 49 shoots, held steady at $4.5 million.

Another Thanksgiving leftover, “Wicked,” rounds out the top five. The Universal musical went on sale on VOD on January 31, but still grossed an additional $10.2 million in theaters. The film is up for several awards at Sunday’s Golden Globes, including nominations for Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, best motion picture musical or comedy and “film and box office achievement,” which was awarded last year to “Barbie”.

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

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

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

1. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $23.8 million.

2. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” $21.2 million.

3. “Nosferatu,” $13.2 million.

4. “Moana 2,” $12.4 million.

5. “Bad Guy,” $10.2 million.

6. “A Complete Unknown,” $8.1 million.

7. “Babygirl,” $4.5 million.

8. “Gladiator II,” $2.7 million.

9. “Homestead,” $2.1 million.

10. “The Fire Within,” $1.2 million.