Mufasa takes top box office spot for first week of 2025

Mufasa: The Lion King has climbed above Sonic 3 to lead the first weekend of 2025 at the box office.

The Disney prequel starring Aaron Pierre as the voice of Mufasa has performed strongly in North America after a slow start, crossing the $150 million (£121 million) mark and entering the top 15 earners among 2024 releases.

But it still hasn't matched what its predecessor, the 2019 Lion King remake, earned in its domestic opening weekend alone. At a production budget north of $200 million (£161 million), Mufasa has drawn substantial business, but hasn't proven to be the hit that that price tag would suggest.

The animation also held off Paramount's Sonic The Hedgehog 3 in the final UK-Ireland weekend box office of 2024.

Sonic 3 slowed to second spot in North America on its third weekend of release and seems just days away from speeding past the $190 million (£152 million) domestic gross that its predecessor Sonic 2 finished with in 2022.

Third spot went to Focus Features' Nosferatu, and fourth to Disney's Moana 2.

The Robbie Williams biopic Better Man has had a quiet start and currently sits in 5th spot at the UK box office, just ahead of Paddington in Peru. The film has received a lukewarm reception from US audiences.