Box Office Report for the Week of January 12

The 2025 movie season has officially kicked off this weekend with the release of its first movie, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera. However, most aren’t in a celebratory mood at this moment, as wildfires are still devastating Los Angeles and the greater community, leading to many awards shows being postponed at later dates. The images I’ve seen on the news and social media are both heartbreaking and horrifying, and no “thoughts and prayers” could ever eliminate the pain of losing a loved one or a home where your entire life was shaped. So many memories gone in an instant. However, there is nothing more important than your own health and safety. If you are reading this article and living in L.A., I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well. 

On Instagram, the director of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Christian Gudegast, made a video expressing his mixed feelings over celebrating the fact that the film hit the #1 spot over the weekend, while his father, actor Eric Braeden, lost his house of 43 years in the Pacific Palisades fire. But he remained eternally grateful that audiences went out to see his film, stating, “Movies, man. All hail movies.” Really, nothing more can be said than that. 

Even when the world tests us and brings us down to our knees, there’s one thing that can make this planet we live in just a little better: the movies. As uncertain as living on this planet always is, the one constant form that unites anyone from all walks of life in one dark room to have a shared, cathartic experience has always been the movies. And the movies will always prevail. 

Gudegast should be proud that his incredible sequel to the 2018 cult hit became the number one film of the weekend and made over $15.5 million at the domestic box office, slightly more than the first because the world always needs cinema for various reasons. Many may buy a ticket for Den of Thieves 2 just for the distraction, while others may want something more out of the movie. Whatever the reason, the fact that movies have always endured in society is a testament to their transformative, life-altering power. 

It’s why families are still going to Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, with the former legging out stronger than expected, crossing the $500 million mark. It may not make as much as the 2019 remake, but families are going to the movies in droves hoping to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience that may transform how a child, or perhaps an adult, may see the world. And what better way to escape this dreary world we live in than by escaping to the Green Hill Zone with Sonic the Hedgehog, which now crossed the $380 mark this weekend. Perhaps its results aren’t as high as Mufasa, but the fact that both movies are resonating so strongly with families is a great sight to see. 

Movies also cross borders and can find success in any place, which is the case with S. Shankar’s Telugu debut with Game Changer. Starring Ram Charan, the film impressively made over $1.8 million in only 800 venues in the United States. In only a small number of cinemas, the film managed to make this significant pull. Of course, prices for South Indian films are different than Hollywood pictures, but the transformative power of cinema knows no bounds, and touches all of us. 

This week, take the time to watch a movie. Whatever it is. Just watch a movie. It may seem like futile advice when the world is filled with so much uncertainty, but it might also be the one thing you need the most without you knowing yet. 

Here is the full list of the top ten films of the weekend: 

1. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (Lionsgate): $15.5M – 3,008 theatres
2. Mufasa: The Lion King (Disney): $13.2M (-44%) – 3,620 theatres
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Paramount): $11.0M (-48%) – 3,582 theatres
4. Nosferatu (Universal): $6.8M (-48%) – 3,082 theatres
5. Moana 2 (Disney): $6.5M (-48%) – 3,170 theatres
6. A Complete Unknown (Disney): $5.0M (-39%) – 2,815 theatres
7. Wicked (Universal): $5.0M (-50%) – 2,967 theatres
8. Babygirl (A24): $3.0M (-31%) – 1,887 theatres
9. Game Changer (Shloka Entertainments): $1.8M – 800 theatres
10. The Last Showgirl (Roadside Attractions): $1.5M – 870 theatres

Source: Comscore