Sonic the Hedgehog returned to the big screen in a big way this weekend, leaving Mufasa: The Lion King in the dust.
Sonic 3 opened in first place, after taking in an estimated $62.0 million, industry tracking company Comscore reported.
The fantasy adventure played in 3,761 locations across North America, for an impressive per theater average of $16,485.
After receiving high marks — an 86 percent score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” rating from audiences on CinemaScore — Sonic 3 was a big draw.
Related: Critics Give ‘Ho-Hum’ ‘Mufasa’ Mixed Reviews
The film follows Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails as they reunite against Shadow — a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they’ve faced before.
Director Jeff Fowler returns along with an all-star cast that includes Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally, and Lee Majdoub.
The film also features newcomers Alyla Browne and Krysten Ritter, with Keanu Reeves joining the franchise as Shadow the Hedgehog.
Based on the Sega video game, the previous Sonic 2 opened with $72.1 million in 2022, according to BoxOfficeMojo. The first film opened with $58.0 million in 2020, slightly behind Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
Elsewhere this weekend, Mufasa: The Lion King debuted in a disappointing second place.
The star-studded prequel earned an estimated $35.0 million from 4,100 theaters, for a per location average of $8,537.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins helmed the movie, which is filled with original songs from Tony Award-winning Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The prequel introduces orphaned cub Mufasa, who is lost and alone, until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka — the heir to a royal bloodline. Their chance meeting leads to an extraordinary journey.
Aaron Pierre leads the cast as Mufasa and Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays Taka. Tiffany Boone, Beyoncé, Blue Ivy Carter, Anika Noni Rose, Braelyn Rankins, Keith David, Donald Glover, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen also have roles in the film.
Despite the animated adventure’s A-list cast and creative team, critics gave Mufasa low marks.
The film has a 56 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus saying: “Barry Jenkins’ deft hand and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music go some way towards squaring the Circle of Life in Mufasa, but this fitfully soulful story is ill-served by its impersonal, photorealistic animation style.”
Audiences who saw the movie disagreed with critics and gave it an “A-” CinemaScore.
There’s still time for Mufasa to bite off a bigger piece of the box office pie, with kids out of school for the holiday season.
Wicked took third place this weekend with $13.5 million in its fifth week of release. Moana 2 made $13.1 million for fourth place in its fourth weekend.
In fifth place, action film Homestead opened with $6 million.
Check out the box office chart below from Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
Please note according to @Comscore @csMoviesUS @CSGlobalMovies this weekend’s overall total estimated 3-day Domestic box office is at an estimated $143M – $146M (& YTD 2024 (now at $8.305B – $8.308B through Sunday) is down now just 4.3% to 4.4% vs. 2023, Note: through Sunday,… pic.twitter.com/tGrmKqFGvL
— Paul Dergarabedian (@PDergarabedian) December 22, 2024
