AFP, Los Angeles

The holiday weekend in North America saw two films battling for box-office supremacy and both emerging with a claim to first place.

Disney’s animated drama ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ prevailed in the five days from Christmas Day through Sunday with an estimated take of USD 63.8 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

But Paramount’s action comedy ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’, which booked USD 59.9 million for that same five-day holiday period, came out on top for the traditional Friday-through-Sunday stretch, edging the Disney film by USD 38 million to USD 37.1 million.

Overall, the weekend generated “big, although not record-breaking box office” numbers, said analyst David A Gross, adding that “the next seven days should be excellent.”

New vampire pic ‘Nosferatu’ from Focus Features also posted impressive numbers, with USD 40.3 million for the five-day period and USD 21.2 million for the three-day weekend.

Gross called that “an excellent opening for a new horror film” — a remake of the 1922 silent classic inspired by the 1897 novel ‘Dracula’ — and noted that critics’ reviews are outstanding.

The ensemble cast includes Bill Skarsgard, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe and Nicholas Hoult.

Universal’s musical fantasy ‘Wicked’, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, earned USD 31.7 million for five days (USD 19.5 million for three) as the latest spin on the magical world of Oz slipped one spot to fourth place. Its global earnings now stand at USD 634 million.

And Disney’s animated ‘Moana 2’ had an estimated USD 28.3 million in ticket sales for five days (USD 18.2 million for three), slipping one spot but holding on to top-five status for the fifth straight week.

Meantime, Searchlight Pictures’ ‘A Complete Unknown’, with Timothee Chalamet portraying an enigmatic Bob Dylan during the dizzying years that propelled the singer-songwriter from anonymity to world fame, took in a solid USD 23.3 million for five days (USD 11.6 million for three). Dylan himself has described Chalamet as a “brilliant actor.”

Rounding out the top 10 were: ‘Babygirl’ (USD 7.2 million for five days, USD 4.4 million for three), ‘Gladiator II’ (USD 5.9 million; USD 4.2 million), ‘Homestead’ (USD 5.3 million; USD 3.2 million), ‘The Fire Inside’ (USD 4.3 million; USD 2 million).