Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King reclaimed the top spot at the North American box office during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, earning $15.5 million and surpassing the $1 billion mark globally, highlighting its massive success.
Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King reclaimed the top spot at the North American box office over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend after slipping to second place the week before, analysts reported on Sunday.
The animated feature earned an estimated $15.5 million over the four-day period from Friday to Monday, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.
Two new releases—Sony’s One of Them Days and Universal’s Wolf Man—claimed second and third place, respectively.
Analyst David A. Gross predicted a "very profitable run" for One of Them Days, which features Keke Palmer and singer-songwriter SZA as roommates struggling to pay rent or face eviction after a boyfriend drains their finances. The comedy debuted with an estimated $14 million during the holiday weekend.
"This is an excellent opening for an original Black American comedy," Gross noted, citing "sensational reviews and an outstanding audience score" as key drivers of its success.
Universal’s horror film Wolf Man, starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, fell short of analysts’ expectations, grossing $12 million over four days. As the launch of a new horror franchise and a remake of the 1941 classic starring Bela Lugosi, Gross described the performance as "weak."
Meanwhile, Paramount’s animated Sonic the Hedgehog 3 dropped one spot from the previous weekend to fourth place, earning $10.3 million.
In fifth place, Disney’s Moana 2 continued to perform strongly, pulling in $8.4 million during its eighth weekend in theaters. The success of Moana 2 and Mufasa pushed Disney’s 2024 releases past the $1 billion global box office milestone. Mufasa joins Deadpool and Wolverine and Inside Out 2 as Disney’s third billion-dollar blockbuster of the year.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera ($7.8 million)
Nosferatu ($5.1 million)
A Complete Unknown ($4.6 million)
Wicked ($4.56 million)
Babygirl ($2.5 million)
With AFP
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