Christmas Box Office: ‘Mufasa’ Leads The Pack As ‘Nosferatu’ Notches $11.5 Million Opening Day

Topline

Christmas proved to be a popular day for U.S. moviegoers, with viewers contributing to a $14.7 million day for Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” according to multiple outlets, as the live-action film took the No. 1 spot at the Christmas box office.

Key Facts

“Mufasa: The Lion King,” which released Dec. 20 and had seen a dip in ticket sales after posting $13.3 million on opening day, rebounded on Christmas and generated $14.7 million at the domestic box office.

Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu,” an R-rated horror starring Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe and Lily-Rose Depp, raked in $11.5 million on its opening day Wednesday, potentially contributing to one of Eggers’ best openings ever, according to Deadline.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which also debuted in theaters on Dec. 20, brought in $10.3 million at the box office, increasing its gross domestic ticket sales to $88 million, Variety reported.

The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothee Chalamet, premiered on Christmas with $7.2 million, which included $1.4 million from Tuesday previews, according to Deadline, which added the movie is expected to generate $22 million in its first five days.

“Wicked,” which has been in theaters for over a month, brought in $5.4 million on Wednesday, boosting its overall domestic box office numbers to $397.9 million.

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Tangent

“Moana 2” is December’s No. 1 release in terms of box office numbers, bringing in $366 million domestically and $806 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Key Background

The 2024 U.S. box office posted a relatively strong year, bringing in $8.2 billion through more than 635 releases. The charge was led by “Inside Out 2” ($653 million), “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($637 million) and “Wicked” ($392 million). However, 2023 still holds the crown of the best year for the box office since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, having generated $8.9 billion in a year led by “Barbie” ($636 million), “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($575 million) and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” ($381 million). Despite some successes, the domestic box office still has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, when movies regularly raked in more than $11 billion between 2015 and 2019.

Further Reading

‘Ghostbusters’ And ‘Venom’ Among Movies That Struck Gold At The Box Office In 2024—Despite Critics Saying They Fell Flat (Forbes)

‘Cabrini’ And ‘Ordinary Angels’ Among 2024’s Best-Reviewed Movies That Flopped At The Box Office (Forbes)