“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” outpaced the box office competition on Christmas Eve.
The film unwrapped $7.5 million on Tuesday from 3,700 North American theaters. “Sonic 3” is projected to bring in $50 million between Wednesday and Sunday. So far, the animated threequel about a blue anthropomorphic speed demon has collected $60 million domestically. It opens internationally on Christmas Day.
Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” was trotting close behind with $7.1 million on Tuesday, boosting its tally to $49.6 million in North America and above $150 million worldwide. The “Lion King” prequel is pacing to generate around $45 million over the five-day holiday frame.
Over the Christmas stretch, three newcomers will join the box office race: Searchlight’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” the Focus Features “Nosferatu” remake and A24’s erotic thriller “Babygirl.” Those movies officially open on Wednesday with only the first two playing on Tuesday in afternoon previews, limiting the daily showtimes. Since there’s no potential billion-dollar tentpole, in the vein of “Avatar,” “Star Wars” or “Spider-Man,” on the calendar around the holidays, exhibitors are banking on November leftovers like “Moana 2,” “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” to pad out revenues during one of the busiest times of year for moviegoing.
“A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothee Chalamet as music and counterculture icon Bob Dylan, earned $1.4 million on Tuesday from 1,880 locations. This figure includes mid-December screenings in Imax and Alamo Drafthouse locations. James Mangold (“Walk the Line”) directed the movie, which is expected to bring in $15 million from 2,500 locations over the five days. It reportedly cost between $60 million to $70 million, so it faces an uphill battle to profitability. Luckily, musical biopics have been quite popular in theaters (see: “Bob Marley: One Love,” “Elvis” and “Bohemian Rhapsody”) while Chalamet has cemented his status as a bankable star with the successes of “Wonka” and “Dune: Part Two.”
“Nosferatu” didn’t report on Tuesday previews, where it was booked on select Imax and 35mm screens. The gothic tale about a terrifying vampire who stalks a haunted young woman, from director Robert Eggers, is poised to deliver the biggest start among newcomers with $25 million over its first five days of release. The film, led by Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp, cost roughly $50 million to produce and will rely on staying power through the holidays to justify its budget.
“Babygirl,” starring Nicole Kidman as a high-powered CEO who has an affair with an intern, didn’t have previews on Tuesday. The movie will start playing in 2,100 theaters on Wednesday and looks to generate $7 million through Sunday.
Meanwhile, “Wicked” and “Moana 2” each collected roughly $3 million on Tuesday and look to add between $20 million and $22 million through the extended holiday frame. “Wicked,” Universal’s adaptation of the Broadway smash, has grossed nearly $400 million domestically and $577 million worldwide to date. “Moana 2,” which was originally commissioned for streaming, has become a theatrical smash with $366 million in the States and $800 million globally.