By Sonic 3 Leads U.S. Box Office with $62 Million, Surpassing Mufasa: The Lion King
During this holiday season of big-budget family films, Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 raced past Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King to claim the top spot at the box office. Sonic 3 opened with $62 million in domestic ticket sales, bolstered by strong reviews (86% on Rotten Tomatoes) and an “A” CinemaScore. Made for $122 million, the film is expected to surpass the $700 million global earnings of its predecessors. Additionally, Paramount is already developing a fourth movie.
On the other hand, Mufasa underperformed with $35 million in domestic earnings, despite opening in more theaters and dominating IMAX screens. Barry Jenkins directed the prequel, which received mixed reviews (56% on Rotten Tomatoes) but earned an “A-” CinemaScore. Internationally, the film grossed $87.2 million, helping to offset some of its $200 million production cost. However, it couldn’t replicate the success of Jon Favreau’s 2019 Lion King remake, which earned $1.66 billion globally.
In Sonic 3, Ben Schwartz voices Sonic, with Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), Knuckles (Idris Elba), and Jim Carrey in dual roles. Meanwhile, Mufasa features a star-studded cast, including Aaron Pierre and Donald Glover.
With no major franchise releases over the holidays, Sonic 3 is well-positioned to dominate the box office. Moreover, family films like Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 have already boosted 2024’s box office performance. Notably, Moana 2 has earned $790.2 million globally.
Meanwhile, Universal’s Wicked continues strong in its fifth weekend, adding $13.5 million domestically for a total of $383.9 million. Other releases include Angel Studios’ Homestead, which earned $6.1 million, and A24’s Oscar contender The Brutalist, which debuted with a per-screen average of $66,698.
As 2024 wraps up, family films have played a significant role in leading a box office rebound. In fact, the gap between this year’s and 2023’s results has narrowed to just 4.4%.
