Both 'Mufasa' and 'Sonic' claim N. America box office supremacy

Box Office Battle: ‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic 3’ Emerge on Top (AFP photo)

LOS ANGELES, United States — The holiday weekend in North America saw two films battling for box-office supremacy and both emerging with a claim to first place.

Disney's animated drama "Mufasa: The Lion King" prevailed in the five days from Christmas Day through on Sunday with an estimated take of $63.8 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on Sunday.

But Paramount's action comedy "Sonic the Hedgehog 3", which booked $59.9 million for that same five-day holiday period, came out on top for the traditional Friday-through-Sunday stretch, edging the Disney film by $38 million to $37.1 million.

Overall, the weekend generated "big, although not record-breaking box office" numbers, said analyst David A. Gross, adding that "the next seven days should be excellent".

New vampire pic "Nosferatu" from Focus Features also posted impressive numbers, with $40.3 million for the five-day period and $21.2 million for the three-day weekend.

Gross called that "an excellent opening for a new horror film" -- a remake of the 1922 silent classic inspired by the 1897 novel "Dracula" -- and noted that critics' reviews are outstanding.

The ensemble cast includes Bill Skarsgard, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe and Nicholas Hoult.

Universal's musical fantasy "Wicked", starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, earned $31.7 million for five days ($19.5 million for three) as the latest spin on the magical world of Oz slipped one spot to fourth place. Its global earnings now stand at $634 million.

And Disney's animated "Moana 2" had an estimated $28.3 million in ticket sales for five days ($18.2 million for three), slipping one spot but holding on to top-five status for the fifth straight week.

Meantime, Searchlight Pictures' "A Complete Unknown", with Timothee Chalamet portraying an enigmatic Bob Dylan during the dizzying years that propelled the singer-songwriter from anonymity to world fame, took in a solid $23.3 million for five days ($11.6 million for three). Dylan himself has described Chalamet as a "brilliant actor".

.epaper-separator{ height: 1px; width: 100%; background-color: #D0D0D0; margin: 15px 0; }

Today’s Paper

.related-articles .layout-ratio{padding-bottom:55%;}
.alert-success { color :#A3656F ; } .alert-danger { color : red ; } .footer { font-family:Myriad Pro,Arial; }
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () { function validateEmail(email) { return /^[^\s@]+@[^\s@]+\.[^\s@]+$/.test(email); } function showModal(message,type) { const messageContainer = document.getElementById("messageContainerFooter"); messageContainer.textContent = message; messageContainer.className = `alert alert-${type} mt-3`; // Bootstrap alert styling messageContainer.classList.remove("d-none"); // Hide message after 5 seconds setTimeout(() => { messageContainer.classList.add("d-none"); }, 5000); } document.getElementById("emailFormFooter").addEventListener("submit", function(event) { event.preventDefault(); const emailInput = document.getElementById("emailFooter"); const email = emailInput.value.trim(); if (!validateEmail(email)) { showModal('Invalid email format','danger'); return; } const url = `/subscribeNewsletter?email=${encodeURIComponent(email)}`; fetch(url, { method: "GET", headers: { "Accept": "application/json" } }) .then(response => { if (!response.ok) { showModal("Error submitting email. Try again.",'danger'); } return response.json(); }) .then(data => { showModal(data.message,'success'); }) .catch(error => { showModal("Error submitting email. Try again.",'danger'); }); }); });