Christmas Box Office: ‘Mufasa’ Tops ‘Sonic 3’ With $14.7 Million, ‘Nosferatu’ Opens Strong With $11.5 Million

Christmas moviegoers flocked to the Pride Lands over the holidays, sending Disney's "Mufasa: The Lion King" to the top of the charts. The family-friendly adventure dominated ticket sales and topped the box office with $14.7 million. Domestic grosses rose to $64.3 million. "The Lion King" prequel has grossed $197.7 million worldwide after earning $18.8 million in international markets on Wednesday. The film is expected to gross more than $50 million in the U.S. over the five-day holiday. Focus Features' Nosferatu, a bloody horror film about a Dracula-like vampire, appealed to a completely different audience than Mufasa, finishing in second place with $11.5 million on its opening day. The film was directed by Robert Eggers, who directed arthouse favorites like The Witch and The Lighthouse. Its ensemble includes rising stars like Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, as well as veterans like Willem Dafoe. The film's budget is a whopping $50 million, so as a bloody holiday counter-show, it will need continued success to justify its expense. 

Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which topped the box office charts last weekend, replaced Mufasa in third place. The latest installment in the film series opened on Wednesday with $10.3 million from more than 3,700 theaters in North America, bringing its domestic box office total to $88 million. Paramount believes there's more life in the spikey-haired hedgehog, having recently greenlit another sequel, scheduled for theaters in 2027. "Sonic" is based on the Sega video game series that has been running since the early '90s. 

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Come in at number four is Searchlight's Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," which premiered on Wednesday and grossed $7.2 million, including $1.4 million in previews on Tuesday. Starring Timothée Chalamet as the free-spirited music legend and directed by James Mangold, who also directed the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line," the film has received rave reviews and is in Oscar buzz. It is expected to gross $22 million in the first five days. It reportedly cost between $60 million and $70 million to make, which is a lot for an adult film. Despite all odds, there are reasons to be optimistic that the film will make a profit. Music biopics like Bob Marley: One Love, Elvis and Bohemian Rhapsody are a reliable genre, and it helps that Chalamet is a box office star thanks to hits like Wonka and Dune Part II. He gets talked about every time he shows up to a screening. 

Universal's Wicked rounded out the top five with $5.4 million at the Christmas box office. The film is a film adaptation of a popular Broadway musical and became one of the biggest hits of the year. Since its release just before Thanksgiving, the film has grossed $397.9 million domestically. 

In addition to A Complete Unknown, there are a number of other awards contenders this holiday season. A24's Nicole Kidman-starring erotic drama "Babygirl" has been met with sterling critical acclaim and grossed $1.5 million on Wednesday after opening in just over 2,000 theaters. Directed by Halina Raine, "Babygirl" also stars Harris Dickinson and Antonio Banderas. A24 has a busy Christmas: The indie studio is also screening "The Brutalist," a three-hour historical epic starring Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones and directed by child actor-turned-filmmaker Brady Corbet. The film grossed $74,965 from six theaters. That brings the domestic gross to $429,580. The Brutalist hit theaters last weekend in limited release. 

New releases include Amazon-MGM Studios' The Fire Inside, an inspiring sports drama about American professional boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, which opened Wednesday in 2,006 theaters in North America to $1.7 million. The film is expected to gross more than $6 million in its first five days of release. Rachel Morrison, an Oscar-nominated cinematographer for Mudbound, makes her directorial debut with the film starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry.