Mufasa: The Lion King is poised to dominate the box office this weekend, finally taking the lead after a competitive holiday season where it consistently finished second to Sonic the Hedgehog 3. This shift is highly anticipated as audiences flock to cinemas to experience the captivating story and stunning visuals that Mufasa offers. Its release has generated significant buzz, and many are eager to see how it measures up against the beloved franchise of Sonic. This weekend’s box office results are expected to reflect a strong performance, indicating a successful run ahead.

The ongoing box office showdown between Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has created a thrilling narrative throughout the holiday season. While Mufasa has generally led during the weekdays, Sonic has managed to secure weekend victories, leading to an exciting back-and-forth competition. However, this weekend marks a pivotal shift, as industry insiders at Deadline predict Mufasa will earn an estimated $24 million, surpassing earlier projections significantly. Meanwhile, Sonic 3 is expected to rake in approximately $20.7 million. Despite Mufasa claiming the weekend’s top position, its total gross remains behind Sonic, with cumulative earnings of $169 million compared to $187 million. Although Mufasa is performing better than anticipated, its earnings are still expected to fall short of the original The Lion King‘s impressive $600 million domestic gross.

In the race for the third spot, the competition is incredibly close, with Deadline forecasting a mere $100,000 difference between Moana 2 and Nosferatu. Both films are set to perform well, with Nosferatu projected to exceed $13 million this weekend. Currently, Nosferatu is closing in on a total domestic gross of $70 million, and it is on track to surpass the $100 million mark. If it continues on this trajectory, Nosferatu is expected to become Focus Features‘ highest-grossing domestic film, a title previously held by Downton Abbey, which earned $83 million during its run.

Another notable Christmas release making waves is A Complete Unknown, distributed by Searchlight. This film is projected to secure sixth place with a weekend total exceeding $8 million, showing a modest decline of just 29% from the previous week. With a total gross of $41.9 million, it stands as Searchlight‘s most successful film post-Disney merger in 2019. This film is expected to maintain momentum through the awards season, potentially reaching a cumulative total of $60-70 million if positive word-of-mouth continues and it garners accolades, possibly receiving a boost with potential wins at the upcoming Golden Globes.

Stay tuned as we will provide a comprehensive recap of the top ten box office performances tomorrow, along with insights on how various independent films, including The Brutalist and Better Man, are performing ahead of their wider releases.