Posted in: Box Office, Movies | Tagged: Mufasa, Sonic 3, Weekend Box Office

Sonic 3 Runs Away With Weekend Box Office, Mufasa Opens Soft

Mufasa was no match for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, as the hedgehog and friends ran circles around the Disney tentpole to win the box office.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 opened pretty much in line with expectations, running away with the box office crown in its opening weekend heading into the holidays. The third film in the franchise scored $62 million, which was $10 million below what the second one did. We can chalk that up to people last minute shopping though, as Christmas falls mid-week. It is another strong showing for Sonic, and it should play very well heading through the next two weeks with families off school and work. For Paramount, this is their fifth #1 opening this year, not too shabby when many were scratching their heads at their line-up to start 2024.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Pushes Around Disney

Sonic the Hedgehog 3's success spelled doom for Mufasa, as the Disney live-action prequel disappointed with just $35 million, well below expectations. Sonic undoubtedly played a part in that, but many thought a prequel set in the live-action universe was a mistake, even with the talent involved. It is more of an international play, and it did fare better there with $87 million, so an opening weekend of $122 million is still not bad, but you know Disney wanted that domestic gross to be stronger. Third place goes to Wicked, which again held strong with another $13.5 million, overtaking the champ of the last two weeks, Moana 2, which drops to fourth with $13.1 million. The top five was finished out by Angel Studios film Homestead, taking in an opening weekend of $6 million.

The weekend box office top five for December 20th:

1. Sonic the Hedgehog 3- $62 million
2. Mufasa- $35 million
3. Wicked- $13.5 million
4. Moana 2- $13.1 million
5. Homestead- $6 million

This week, three new films join an already crowded marketplace on Christmas Day, closing out the 2024 box office with a hopefully very big holiday week for theaters. Robert Eggers' Nosferatu finally opens, while A24 curiously opens Nicole Kidman's drama Babygirl. But the biggest new release is Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, starring Timothee Chalmet as the singer. That one should make noise and break into the top three, though I think Sonic the Hedegog 3 3 holds onto the top spot. It will be interesting to see if the Dylan film can overtake Mufasa.

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