January 2, 2025
-1-News.jpg "Theater counts: Mufasa roars into the new year the widest release")
While the new year is finally here, in terms of new films opening in theaters, we will have to wait another week to see some fresh faces make their way onto the big screen. This weekend will be much of the same, as the top three films from last weekend will claw their way in search of a box office win. The past weekend witnessed a narrow victory for Sonic The Hedgehog 3, as the speedster raced past Mufasa: The Lion King by a rather narrow $37.01 million to $36.8 million margin over the three-day period.
Despite coming in second place at the North American box office, Mufasa still comfortably holds the title as the most available film in the land. The film currently enjoys a 13-day domestic total of $138.52 million while having earned over $226 million from overseas markets and has propelled The Lion King franchise to over $3 billion globally. The movie does drop below 4,000 locations this weekend but is still widely available in 3,925 movie houses.
As previously mentioned, the current box office topper, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, is still racking up solid numbers from both domestic and international showings. With over $210 million in global receipts, the third installment has catapulted the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise past the $900 million mark globally and should surpass the $1 billion threshold by the end of its run. Sonic and friends will be available in 3,746 cinemas this weekend.
Rounding out the top five this weekend is another Walt Disney picture, with Moana 2 still playing in a wide 3,345 venues. Showing in 3,287 theaters is another mega-hit in Wicked. That film has taken in just shy of $438 million in domestic play since opening on November 22nd. Lastly, last weekend’s newcomer in Nosferatu adds 140 locations this weekend for a total of 3,132 cinemas.
Looking ahead to next weekend, we see the debut of two new wide releases with three current films expanding their domestic footprint. The sequel, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, starring Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr., will make its theatrical appearance, as will the Indian political action-thriller,
Game Changer, starring Ram Charan, who headlined the 2022 blockbuster, RRR.
| Movie | Distributor | Theaters | Previous Theaters |
Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mufasa: The Lion King | Walt Disney | 3,925 | 4,100 | -175 |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | Paramount Pictures | 3,746 | 3,769 | -23 |
| Moana 2 | Walt Disney | 3,345 | 3,405 | -60 |
| Wicked | Universal Pictures | 3,287 | 3,177 | +110 |
| Nosferatu | Focus Features | 3,132 | 2,992 | +140 |
| A Complete Unknown | Searchlight Pictures | 2,835 | 2,835 | |
| Babygirl | A24 | 2,164 | 2,115 | +-49 |
| The Fire Inside | Amazon MGM Studios | 2,032 | 2,006 | +26 |
| Kraven the Hunter | Sony Pictures | 1,862 | 2,437 | -575 |
| Gladiator II | Paramount Pictures | 1,748 | 1,865 | -117 |
| Homestead | Angel Studios | 1,700 | 1,769 | -69 |
| The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim | Warner Bros | 472 | 1,135 | -663 |
| The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | Lionsgate | 335 | 497 | -162 |
| Red One | Amazon MGM Studios | 285 | 565 | -280 |
| The Wild Robot | Universal Pictures | 112 | 102 | +10 |
| A Real Pain | Searchlight Pictures | 105 | 100 | +5 |
| Queer | A24 | 61 | 379 | -318 |
| Conclave | Focus Features | 56 | 57 | -1 |
| Nickel Boys | Amazon MGM Studios | 18 | 5 | +13 |
| September 5 | Paramount Pictures | 13 | 5 | +8 |
| The Brutalist | A24 | 8 | 7 | +1 |
| Better Man | Paramount Pictures | 6 | 6 |
Filed under: Theater Counts, The Lion King, Sonic The Hedgehog, Den of Thieves, Gerard Butler, Ram Charan