411 Box Office Report: Mufasa Moves Up To #1, Nosferatu Hits $100 Million Worldwide

It took three weeks, but Mufasa: The Lion King made its way to #1 in a strong first weekend at the box office for 2025. The Disney sequel topped the charts this weekend as it brought in $23.8 million, down just 35% from last weekends numbers to surpass Sonic The Hedgehog 3 to hit #1 for the weekend.

The sequel has become a sleeper success story as it started off with a relatively low $35 million a couple of weekends ago, but has since gone on to post fantastic holds over the holidays. That’s normal for the Christmas and New Year’s weeks, but even by those standards Mufasa is showing up. The film is now at $168.6 million domestically and $476.4 million worldwide against a $200 million budget, making its way toward profit when that seemed less certain at the opening of its run. At this point Mufasa looks to be a sure thing to top $200 million in the US by the time it ends its run in theaters and could go much higher, far less than the first Lion King remake but still a success for the studio.

While Sonic The Hedgehog 3 conceded the top spot this weekend, it’s still going quite strong. The live action/animated threequel was down 43% in its third frame to $21.2 million. That puts the film at $187.5 million stateside and $338.3 million worldwide.

As it stands, the film has surpassed the original Sonic’s $146.1 million domestic as well as its $302.5 million worldwide. It also is a breath away from topping the sequel’s $190.9 million in the US while being on track to beat its $405.2 million worldwide. All this boils down to Sonic 3 being a hit for Paramount, even on a slightly higher budget than the first two at $122 million. $225 million is a likely end goal, and perhaps higher.

Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu continued to roll as well, with the vampire remake down 39% from its opening weekend with $13.2 million. The gothic horror film is now easily Eggers’ biggest film to date with its $69.4 million domestic and $100.4 million worldwide totals eclipsing The Northman’s $34.2 million and $69.5 million. Nosferatu cost $50 million and will be easily profitable against that number, especially if it continues to get awards attention for its technical merits. As it stands, it could potentially reach the $100 million domestic mark and still has room to spread its wings internationally for more profit there.

Moana 2 was up a sport to #4 in its sixth weekend as the animated Disney sequel chalked up another $12.4 million. That’s down a mere 34% from last weekend’s strong numbers. After taking a bit of a dip in its second weekend, the film has become a big one for family audiences even with heavy competition for the field. Moana 2 stands at $425.2 million domestically and a stellar $960.5 million worldwide, with $1 billion worldwide well in sight. It has far surpassed the original Moana’s $248.8 million domestic and $684.7 million worldwide despite having the same budget and marks a major return to form for Disney Animation. Domestically, it will pass $450 million without difficulty.

Wicked slipped a bit down, 48% in its seventh weekend to $10.2 million. Universal is perfectly happy with its megahit though, which is now at $450.8 million domestic and $681.3 million worldwide with plenty of room left to go. This film is a big contender for awards and should be able to continue playing throughout award season, making it a likely $475 million-plus grosser in the US against a $145 million budget for mega-profit.

A Complete Unknown had the second best hold in the top 10 as it was down 31% in its second weekend to $8.1 million. The Timothee Chalamet-starring Bob Dylan biopic now has $41.7 million to make it Searchlight’s highest domestic grossing film since Disney acquired Fox, passing The Menu’s $38.5 million. A Complete Unknown still has yet to open overseas but once it does it should be able to find profit, even considering the reported $70 million budget. Its domestic total should end up somewhere around $70 million.

A24’s Babygirl had the best hold in the top 10 as it held almost exactly even with $4.5 million. The Nicole Kidman thriller is proving to have some staying power, having already hit a 3.59 multiple of its opening weekend numbers for $16.2 million worldwide. Again, this one has yet to open overseas and award attention to Nicole Kidman will likely help, but it’s in good shape against a $20 million budget once overseas money starts to flow. Domestically it should get around $25 million.

Gladiator II was off 35% in its seventh weekend with $2.7 million, which brings its totals to $168.9 million stateside and $449.7 million worldwide. It is still on course for to end around $175 million domestically. The budget was $250 million.

Angel Studios’ Homestead was down 32% in its third frame to $2.1 million. The film is on course to be Angel’s second-highest grossing film to date, as it’s just a tiny bit behind Cabrini’s $19.5 million domestic total, and should close out around $23 million.

The Fire Inside again finished up the top 10 with $1.2 million, down 37% in its second frame. The sports drama has $7.1 million against a $12 million budget with a $10 million total likely. It will be okay as an Amazon MGM film that will make enough ancillary on Prime Video to overcome the budget.

Next weekend brings the potential for a new #1 in the sequel Den of Thieves 2: Pantera which is aiming at around $15 million domestically, though it will have tough competition in the two holdovers of Sonic and Mufasa. Paramount’s Robbie Williams biographical musical Better Man is expanding and should land in the mid-to-high single digits.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Mufasa: The Lion King – $23.8 million ($168.6 million total, $476.4 million WW)
2. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – $21.2 million ($187.5 million total, $336.3 million WW)
3. Nosferatu – $13.2 million ($69.4 million total, $100.4 million WW)
4. Moana 2 – $12.4 million ($425.2 million total, $960.5 million WW)
5. Wicked – $10.2 million ($450.8 million total, $681.3 million WW)
6. A Complete Unknown – $8.1 million ($41.7 million total, $41.7 million WW)
7. Babygirl – $4.5 million ($16.1 million total, $16.2 million WW)
8. Gladiator II – $2.7 million ($168.9 million total, $449.7 million WW)
9. Homestead – $2.1 million ($17.5 million total, $17.5 million WW)
10. The Fire Inside – $1.2 million ($7.1 million total, $7.1 million WW)