In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures' Sonic the Hedgehog 3 sped past the Walt Disney Co.'s Mufasa: The Lion King to take the top spot at the box office ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters. 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 a high score from audiences (an "A" on CinemaScore), Sonic 3 is well positioned to be the top choice in cinemas during the busiest moviegoing period of the year, the AP reports.
It was telling of some wider trends that Sonic 3—made for $122 million—bested one of Disney's top properties. Videogame adaptations, once among the most derided movie genres, have emerged as one of the most dependable box office forces in recent years. The two previous Sonic movies together grossed more $700 million worldwide, and the third installment appears likely to do better than both of them. A fourth Sonic movie is already in development. No major franchise movie is coming this Christmas. The most anticipated Dec. 25 release might be A Complete Unknown, with Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan. That means Sonic 3 could be looking at several weeks in a row at No. 1.
Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3, $62 million.
- Mufasa: The Lion King, $35 million.
- Wicked, $13.5 million.
- Moana 2, $13.1 million.
- Homestead, $6.1 million.
- Gladiator II, $4.5 million.
- Kraven the Hunter, $3.1 million.
- Red One, $1.4 million.
- Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, $1.3 million.
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, $825,000.
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