In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures’ “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” edged out Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” to take the top spot at the box office ahead of lucrative earnings. Christmas aisle in cinemas.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” debuted with $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates. With strong reviews (86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and high audience scores (“A” on CinemaScore), “Sonic 3” is well-positioned to become a top choice in theaters during the busiest movie period of the year.
It was telling of some broader trends that “Sonic 3” – made for $122 million – is one of Disney’s top properties. Video game adaptations, once one of the most derided film genres, have emerged as one of the most reliable forces at the box office in recent years. The previous two “Sonic” films combined to gross over $700 million worldwide and the third installment is likely to outperform both of those. A fourth “Sonic” film is already in development.
However, “Mufasa” suffered a decline in its opening weekend, with domestic ticket sales of $35 million, well below expectations. The photorealistic “Lion King” prequel debuted even higher than “Sonic 3,” launching in 4,100 theaters and taking up the majority of IMAX screens, compared to 3,761 for “Sonic 3.”
Although “Mufasa” received poor reviews (56% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave it an “A-” CinemaScore.
“Sonic 3” cost almost double that of “Mufasa”, costing more than $200 million to make. Disney can expect $87.2 million in international sales to make up the difference. The third “Sonic” will launch in most overseas markets in the coming weeks.
In director Jeff Fowler’s “Sonic 3,” Ben Schwartz returns as the voice of the Hedgehog, joined by Tails the Fox (Colleen O’Shaughnessy), Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik in scene-stealing dual roles. And his grandfather.
“Moonlight” filmmaker Barry Jenkins directs the “Mufasa” voice cast, which includes Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Mads Mikkelsen and Blue Ivy Carter. It follows Jon Favreau’s 2019 photorealistic “The Lion King” remake, which grossed $1.66 billion globally despite mixed reviews. “Mufasa” didn’t even come close to that film’s massive opening weekend gross of $191 million.
Paramount distribution head Chris Aronson said, “We felt strongly that the market could support both films and we’re certainly holding our side of the bargain.”
There is no big franchise film coming this Christmas. The most anticipated release on December 25 could be “A Complete Unknown”, starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan. This means that “Sonic 3” could remain at number 1 for several consecutive weeks.
“The family audience on ‘Sonic 2’ was 59%. This time it’s 46%, this 13% drop reflects the time of year we’re dealing with,” Aronson said. “I think once the market really ripens, ‘Sonic’ will become the dominant force.”
Disney’s many live-action adaptations — including “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Jungle Book” — have been big hits. Others, such as “Dumbo,” “Mulan” and “The Little Mermaid” have been less appreciated. There’s more to come, including a new “Snow White” in March, “Lilo & Stitch” in May, and plans to give “Moana” and “Tangled” the same live-action treatment.
Despite the slow start of “Mufasa,” Disney is still celebrating its strongest annual performance in years. The studio has contributed more than $5 billion in worldwide ticket sales, including the year’s top two hits: “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Animated “Moana 2” could get Disney a top three movie of the year. In four weeks of release, it has collected $790.2 million globally, including $13.1 million in US and Canadian theaters this weekend.
Although Christmas often sees some of the biggest releases of the year, movies released around Thanksgiving really hit the box office this season. It includes “Moana 2” and Universal Pictures’ “Wicked,” which finished third in its fifth weekend.
The hit musical adaptation “Wicked” starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande added $13.5 million in North American theaters, bringing its domestic total to $383.9 million.
Those films, among others, have led to a Hollywood comeback in 2024. After a significant loss at the beginning of the year, total sales are approaching 2023. According to comScore, the gap has narrowed to 4.4% compared to last year’s results. While that’s still significantly lower than pre-pandemic years, it’s enough to flip the script on what once looked like a tough year for movies.
Family films like “Inside Out 2,” “Moana 2” and “Sonic 3” have played prominent roles. ComScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said animated films accounted for 26.5% of this year’s box office.
Dergarabedian said, “The box office year was saved by family audiences being attracted to the multiplexes.”
“Homestead,” the latest release from Christian-themed Angel Studios, distributor of “Sound of Freedom,” opened with $6.1 million. It follows a group of doomsday preppers who take refuge in a self-contained compound after a nuclear attack in California.
Brady Corbett’s “The Brutalist,” one of the year’s top Oscar contenders, launches on four screens in New York and Los Angeles. Its $66,698 per-screen average was one of the highest in 2024. The post-World War II epic runs three and a half hours, which presents obvious dramatic challenges. A24 is trying to turn the film starring Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce into an artsy event. It was nominated for seven Golden Globes.
Final domestic box office figures will be released on Monday. Estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to comScore:
1. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” $62 million.
2. “Mufasa: The Lion King,” $35 million.
3. “Wicked,” $13.5 million.
4. “Moana 2,” $13.1 million.
5. “Homestead,” $6.1 million.
6. “Gladiator II,” $4.5 million.
7. “Kraven the Hunter,” $3.1 million.
8. “Red One,” $1.4 million.
9. “Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” $1.3 million.
10. “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” $825,000.