Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” raced to the top of the U.K. and Ireland box office with a £11.7 million ($14.7 million) opening weekend, according to numbers from Comscore.
In its second weekend, Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” continued to draw audiences, adding £4.2 million for a cumulative total of £12.6 million.
Universal’s “Wicked” stayed in third place with a solid £2.7 million in its sixth week. The musical adaptation has now reached £53 million. Meanwhile, Disney’s “Moana 2” earned £2.2 million in its fifth frame, bringing its total to £33.7 million.
“Better Man,” the Robbie Williams biopic from Entertainment Film Distributors, debuted in fifth place with £1.5 million, marking a respectable start for the music-centered drama. Studiocanal’s “Paddington in Peru” added £819,038 in its eighth week, pushing its total to more than £33 million.
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Paramount’s “Gladiator II” followed in seventh with £561,662, for a cumulative total of £30.3 million after seven weeks. Black Bear’s “Conclave” added £364,319 in its fifth week, taking its overall haul to £5.5 million. Bakrania Media’s Bollywood film “Baby John” opened with £112,834 in ninth place, while Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter” added £87,631 in its third week for a total of £1.4 million.
The first week of January 2025 sees several highly anticipated films entering the marketplace. Leading the lineup is Universal’s “Nosferatu,” Robert Eggers’ reimagining of the horror classic, set to open on Jan. 1. Joining it is Studiocanal’s romantic drama “We Live In Time,” starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, and Altitude Film Distribution’s sci-fi thriller “2073” from acclaimed filmmaker Asif Kapadia.
Other midweek releases include the Tamil-language drama “Vanangaan” (DJ Tech LTD), which is the latest from Indian auteur Bala and Dreamz Entertainment’s sports biopic “Game Changer,” starring “RRR” leading man Ram Charan, directed by Shankar Shanmugam. On Jan. 3, Curzon will release Golden Globe nominated “Nickel Boys,” based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, and Polish action film “Diabel,” distributed by Magnetes Pictures, while BFI Distribution offers a re-release of Luchino Visconti’s Italian classic “Rocco and His Brothers,” starring Alain Delon.