‘Mufasa’ Rules Post-Christmas Box Office With $12 Million, ‘Nosferatu’ Shows Bite With $7.6 Million Thursday

variety.com:

Brent Lang Executive Editor Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” is reigning over the holiday box office. The family film, which is a prequel to “The Lion King” (both the 1994 animated classic and the less canonical 2019 photorealistic remake), earned $12 million on Thursday.

That brings its domestic haul to $76.4 million. In a change of pace, Barry Jenkins, best known for shepherding arthouse films like “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk” to screens, directed “Mufasa,” which cost $200 million to produce. “Mufasa” started slowly in the U.S., losing out to Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” in its opening weekend, but it seems to be catching on with the Christmas crowds.

It should earn $58 million over the five-day holiday period. That means that Disney will end 2024 on a high note after dominating multiplexes with hits such as “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Moana 2” and “Inside Out 2.” And though it was outpaced on Thursday, “Sonic 3” was still nipping at “Mufasa’s” back paws, pulling in $11.5 million to bring its domestic gross to $99.5 million.

Both movies are duking it out for moviegoers with younger children, setting the stage for a series of awards hopefuls to try to attract older ticket buyers.