“Wicked,” the hit musical adaption starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, added $13.5 million in North American theaters to push its domestic total to $383.9 million.
Those films, among others, have led a Hollywood rebound in 2024. After a significant deficit earlier in the year, overall sales are drawing close to those of 2023. According to Comscore, the gap has narrowed to 4.4% behind last year’s results. While that’s still significantly less than pre-pandemic years, it’s enough to flip the script on what once looked like a rough year for the movies.
Family films like “Inside Out 2,” “Moana 2” and “Sonic 3” have played a major role. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, noted animated movies have accounted for 26.5% of this year’s box office.
“The box office year was saved by the family audience being drawn to the multiplex,” said Dergarabedian.
“Homestead,” the latest release from Christian-themed Angel Studios, the distributor of “Sound of Freedom,” opened with $6.1 million. It follows a group of Doomsday preparers who take shelter in a self-sufficient compound after a nuclear attack in California.
Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” one of the year’s top Oscar contenders, launched on four screens in New York and Los Angeles. Its $66,698 per-screen average was one of the highest of 2024. The post-World War II epic runs three-and-a-half hours, posing obvious theatrical challenges. A24 is trying to turn the film starring Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce into an arthouse event. It was nominated for seven Golden Globes.
Final domestic box office figures will be released Monday. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” $62 million.
2. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $35 million.
3. “Wicked,” $13.5 million.
4. “Moana 2,” $13.1 million.
5. “Homestead,” $6.1 million.
6. “Gladiator II,” $4.5 million.
7. “Kraven the Hunter,” $3.1 million.
8. “Red One,” $1.4 million.
9. “Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” $1.3 million.
10. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” $825,000.
