The film “Mufasa” from The Walt Disney Co. has secured the top position at the North American box office during the first weekend of 2025.
The visually stunning “Lion King” prequel brought in $23.8 million during its third weekend, as reported in studio estimates released on Sunday. Close on its heels was Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which has claimed the box office crown for the preceding two weekends.

“Sonic 3” maintained a solid presence with a weekend estimate of $21.2 million, which pushes its total domestic haul to $187.5 million, and marks the entire franchise crossing the impressive $1 billion mark worldwide. In comparison, “Mufasa” has accumulated a total of $169.2 million thus far.

In third place, Focus Features’ remake of “Nosferatu” showed resilience, experiencing only a 39% drop in its second weekend—a noteworthy achievement for horror films, which often see steep declines after their opening. The movie, which expanded to 140 additional screens, grossed $13.2 million over the weekend and has reached a total of $69.4 million since its Christmas premiere. Directed by Robert Eggers, “Nosferatu” has already outstripped its reported production budget of $50 million, not including marketing costs.

This weekend did not see any new wide releases, allowing the box office’s top 10 to remain filled with holdover films. Among those, “Moana 2” took the No. 4 position for Disney in its sixth week of theatrical run, earning $12.4 million. The animated sequel now has a worldwide total of $960.5 million.

The biopic “A Complete Unknown,” depicting Bob Dylan’s life, saw only a minor dip in its second weekend with a weekend gross of $8.1 million. So far, it has accumulated $41.7 million, making it Searchlight’s highest-grossing film since the studio was acquired by Disney in 2019.

A24’s “Babygirl,” an erotic drama that has added 49 new locations, retained its position at $4.5 million. Closing out the top five, Universal’s “Wicked” continues to draw audiences, racking up another $10.2 million while also becoming available for purchase on VOD on January 31. This film is in the running for multiple Golden Globe awards, including actor nominations for Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, as well as all-around recognition for best motion picture musical or comedy.

Additionally, the weekend featured the IMAX resurgence of David Fincher’s 4K restoration of “Seven,” which garnered slightly over $1 million from 200 locations.

The box office for 2025 is exhibiting a stronger performance compared to the previous year, with a rise of about 20% from the same weekend in 2024.

Final figures for domestic earnings will be confirmed on Monday. The estimated ticket sales for the weekend period from Friday to Sunday across U.S. and Canadian theaters are as follows, according to Comscore:

1. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $23.8 million.

2. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” $21.2 million.

3. “Nosferatu,” $13.2 million.

4. “Moana 2,” $12.4 million.

5. “Wicked,” $10.2 million.

6. “A Complete Unknown,” $8.1 million.

7. “Babygirl,” $4.5 million.

8. “Gladiator II,” $2.7 million.

9. “Homestead,” $2.1 million.

10. “The Fire Inside,” $1.2 million.