While December opening weekends rarely rival the blockbusters of summer, Sonic 3 has demonstrated that audiences will still turn out for an enticing event film during the holidays. Meanwhile, Mufasa: The Lion King is projected to open with $35 million domestically, a significant drop from the $191 million debut of its 2019 predecessor.
Reviews for Mufasa have been lukewarm, which hasn’t helped its momentum. While CinemaScore audiences gave it an A- grade, it’s still a step down from the 2019 Lion King’s A rating. Despite the soft start, Disney is betting on international markets to boost the prequel’s success. The Lion King franchise remains a powerful global brand; the 2019 remake earned over $1 billion internationally. This weekend, Mufasa is expected to dominate overseas, as Sonic 3 won’t open in many territories until Christmas.
Elsewhere, Disney can breathe easier with Moana 2, which has secured third place after earning $3 million on Friday. The animated sequel has now grossed over $350 million domestically and could surpass Despicable Me 4’s $361 million by the weekend’s end, making it the fourth-highest-grossing release of the year in North America. Worldwide, Moana 2 has crossed $725 million.
Universal’s Wicked continues to perform solidly in its fifth weekend, adding another $14 million to its domestic total, which now surpasses $384 million. With the holiday season in full swing, the musical adaptation is on track to hit the $400 million mark domestically.
In fifth place, Angel Studios’ Homestead, a faith-based drama about a community surviving a post-apocalyptic attack, earned $2.8 million on Friday from 1,886 locations and is aiming for a $5 million opening weekend. However, the film received a CinemaScore grade of B, lower than Angel Studios’ usual A-range, possibly due to the film’s unexpected reveal as a stealth pilot for a new TV series.
Outside the top five, Sony’s Kraven the Hunter continues to struggle in its second weekend. The Marvel antihero film is projected to earn $3.1 million, marking a steep 72% drop from its modest debut. This is a sharper decline than the 61% drop experienced by Sony’s Madame Web earlier this year. Kraven now trails behind the fifth weekend of Paramount’s Gladiator II, which is expected to add $4.8 million this weekend, bringing its domestic total past $150 million.