‘Mufasa’ Approaches $500M Globally; ‘Moana 2’ Aims for $1B; ‘Nosferatu’ Surpasses $100M Worldwide – International Box Office

Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King held its position at the forefront of the international box office this weekend, raking in an additional $53.5M from 52 significant markets. This pushes the overseas total to $307.8M and the overall global figure to $476.4M, inching closer to the half-a-billion milestone.

In related news, Disney’s Moana 2 is on track to reach the billion-dollar benchmark globally, accumulating $960.5M through Sunday. Meanwhile, Universal/Focus’ Nosferatu crossed the $100M global mark during this session. Additionally, Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has surpassed $1B with its three films combined (more details below).

Mufasa experienced a 31% drop in offshore earnings, with notable performances in Japan (+13%), Germany (-22%), France (-23%), the UK (-24%), Australia (-26%), Brazil (-26%), Mexico (-30%), and Spain (-31%). Overall, Mufasa has now become the No. 9 studio release of 2024 internationally.

The leading markets thus far are France ($30.9M), the UK ($25.9M), Mexico ($21.4M), Germany ($20.5M), and Italy ($19.6M).

In terms of IMAX performance, the film has garnered $31M globally, with $15.4M from international markets.

While Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog franchise reaches $1B worldwide, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 brought in $51.2M from 61 markets this weekend, reflecting a -36% hold. Seven new openings were recorded, setting franchise-best numbers in Brazil ($6.8M), Italy ($5.1M), and Poland ($3.3M).

The current international total stands at $148.8M, culminating in $336.3M globally.

The Top 5 markets remain the UK ($23.6M), Mexico ($16.2M), France ($14.4M), Australia ($9.7M), and Brazil.

Universal/Focus’ Nosferatu expanded into 56 additional international markets this weekend, bringing the total release count to 61. This sophomore session generated $26.8M, resulting in a current international total of $31M. The film has already outperformed Robert Eggers’ previous works, The Witch and The Lighthouse, and has produced more than double The Northman at the same stage. The global earnings for Nosferatu currently stand at $100.4M.

By today, Nosferatu is set to become Eggers’ biggest movie of all time in 21 markets, including the UK, Mexico, and Italy.

The UK leads the charge with $6.6M earned during a five-day opening, expected to take the No. 1 spot. It has already outstripped the lifetime totals of recent horror releases such as The Substance and Trap, achieving the largest opening weekend for Eggers’ films, thanks solely to Wednesday’s earnings. Presently, IMAX’s share sits at 12%.

In Mexico, Nosferatu is predicted to debut at $3.5M across 1,727 screens, making it the second-biggest horror opening of 2024, just behind A Quiet Place: Day One.

Italy forecasts a $2.2M opening, exceeding the total earnings of Insidious: The Red Door, Speak No Evil, Hereditary, Get Out, and Nope. By the weekend’s conclusion, Nosferatu is also projected to surpass the lifetime earnings of Smile, Scream VI, Longlegs, and Trap.

Australia’s debut is pegged at $2M across 200 screens, aligning with The Nun 2 and surpassing the overall runs of The Substance, Trap, and Speak No Evil.

Germany, the home of the iconic 1922 original and the film’s world premiere, delivered a $1.6M opening, significantly outpacing the 2024 horror titles Trap (+91%), Longlegs (+60%), and Speak No Evil (+220%), fitting well alongside Alien: Romulus.

The top 5 markets identified are the UK, Mexico, Spain ($3.2M), Italy, and France ($2.1M).

Korea and Japan have yet to release.

Disney’s Moana 2 is now geared toward crossing the $1B threshold globally, achieving a worldwide sum of $960.5M after six weeks. It stands as the No. 4 global release of 2024 and ranks No. 5 overall from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Overseas, Moana 2 also sits as the No. 4 international release among 2024 films. With $26M from 52 markets this session, it only dipped by 30%, showing resilience in markets like Japan (+1%), Australia (-24%), the UK (-25%), Germany (-26%), Spain (-28%), France (-29%), and Mexico (-33%).

The current international total for Moana 2 is $535.3M, with leading markets being France ($59.4M), the UK ($48.1M), Germany ($39.5M), Mexico ($29.6M), and Australia ($27.6M).

Universal’s Wicked generated $10.8M (-26%) from 81 markets in its 7th frame, resulting in an offshore total of $230.5M and a global total of $681.3M. Its performance currently surpasses that of Mamma Mia 2, The Little Mermaid, and Maleficent, and is far ahead of The Greatest Showman (excluding China).

So far, the top markets are the UK ($72.6M), Australia ($26.9M), Germany ($15.2M), Korea ($14.8M), and Mexico ($10M).

Japan is slated for a March release.

Meanwhile, Pushpa 2: The Rule has eclipsed Baahubali 2 to become India’s highest-grossing film ever, amassing an estimated 1352 crore ($157.5M) in just 32 days.

MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE

Gladiator II (PAR): $4.5M international weekend (65 markets); $280.8M international cume/$449.6M Global
Conclave (FNE): $3.6M international weekend (30 markets); $37.2M international cume/$68.6M Global
We Live in Time (SC): $3.6M international weekend (UK opening)
Kraven the Hunter (SNY): $2M international weekend (59 markets); $35M international cume/$58.7M Global
I’m Still Here (SNY): $200K international weekend (Brazil); $11.3M cume