The box office landscape experienced a refreshing revival on New Year’s Day 2025, achieving a remarkable $42.9 million across all films. This figure marks a record for the holiday period following the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Compared to the $40.2 million generated on the same day in 2022—dominated by the box office titan Spider-Man: No Way Home, which alone contributed $23.1 million—the latest figures signal a robust recovery. The performance not only exceeded the first day of 2024 by 33%, but also reflected a substantial 38% increase from New Year’s Eve, underscoring a strong momentum heading into the new year.
Leading the charge was Disney’s highly anticipated prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, which grossed $10.3 million, narrowly surpassing Paramount/Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3, that concluded its weekend with $8.95 million. Despite Sonic’s recent two-week reign at the top, Mufasa has demonstrated remarkable staying power, clinching the number one spot six consecutive days since its premiere on Christmas. Meanwhile, holdover titles from Thanksgiving—Moana 2 and Wicked—also showed impressive resilience, earning $5.1 million and $4.6 million, respectively.
The emergence of niche, auteur-driven films has also captured audience interest this season. Focus Features’ Nosferatu, helmed by director Robert Eggers, has notably soared to $53 million, marking it as his highest-grossing film domestically. In a remarkable display of cinematic prowess, the vampire thriller, featuring notable talents like Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp, surpassed the earnings of his previous Viking saga, The Northman, which grossed $34.2 million in 2022. On its opening day, Nosferatu garnered an impressive $4.96 million, establishing its position within Focus Features’ most successful films.
Simultaneously, the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold, has also made waves, generating a commendable $31.7 million as of New Year’s Day with a further haul of $3.1 million to cap the holiday. Following the acquisition of Searchlight by Disney, this title is poised to become the highest-grossing release since the merger, aiming to eclipse the $38.5 million achieved by 2022’s The Menu.
What stands out in the success of both Nosferatu and A Complete Unknown is their impressive box office performance without the buzz of Oscar nominations. Indeed, Nosferatu is expected to soon surpass the domestic earnings of Focus Features’ Oscar-winning film, The Darkest Hour, which collected $56.4 million during its run. Similarly, A Complete Unknown is set to overtake the cumulative box office of several previous Searchlight accolades, further emphasizing the sustained appetite for quality cinema.
As 2024 closed with $8.72 billion—a slight decrease from 2023’s $9 billion—a pause from major new releases in the immediate future hints at a quiet spell for the industry. Indeed, the upcoming weekend marks one of only three weekends in 2025 devoid of wide releases. While uncertainty fills the air, the positive New Year’s Day figures provide a beacon of hope for studios and cinema aficionados alike, indicating that audiences are ready to embrace new stories and experiences in the year ahead.