Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King and Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are in a close battle for the Christmas box office crown as the year comes to a close.

Mufasa is tipped to win the long weekend (Wednesday through Sunday) with an estimated $61 million, versus an expected $59 million for the Sonic threequel. Sonic 3 could win the three-day weekend with an estimated $37.5 million, versus $34 million to $35 million for Mufasa.

They are hardly the only two movies making noise in what’s turning out to be a very merry Christmas for a flurry of films.

Robert Eggers and Focus Features’ star-studded vampire film Nosferatu, one of several films opening nationwide on Christmas Day, looks to post an impressive five-day opening of $39 million to $40 million. That’s well ahead of expectations. The male-skewing movie — starring Lily-Rose Depp, Hoult and Bill Skarsgard — earned a B- CinemaScore, which isn’t bad for a horror title.

Both titles opened last weekend, with Sonic 3 becoming an instant crowd-pleaser and beating Mufasa.

A24’s Babygirl, erotic thriller starring Nicole Kidman, is eyeing a $7 million five-day opening after earning a B- CinemaScore.

The distributor is also handling awards frontrunner The Brutalist, which is bypassing a nationwide release in favor of a traditional platform rollout that sees it debut in six locations this weekend. If estimates hold, it could post a pleasing location average in the $57,000 range.

The year-end has been good news for the box office, with the deficit narrowing from 11 percent in mid-November to 4 percent now.

The bonanza kicked off at Thanksgiving with the potent combo of Moana 2, Wicked and Gladiator II, all of which remain high up on the box office chart.