December 30th 2024.
The competition for the top spot at the box office is always fierce amongst movies, but this Christmas season proved to be exceptionally intense with both Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 battling for victory. However, there seems to be a bit of confusion as to which film actually came out on top.
According to the numbers, there was only a small difference of $900,000 between the two films at the American box office over the weekend. Technically, Sonic 3 pulled ahead with $38 million, just barely beating out Mufasa's $37.1 million in ticket sales from Friday to Sunday, December 27-29.
But when the official Walt Disney Studios account proudly announced on Sunday night that Mufasa was "now the #1 movie in America, and the #1 movie in the world, two weeks in a row," many fans were quick to call out Disney for not telling the truth. They accused the studio of spreading lies and being wrong.
However, as it turns out, Disney wasn't entirely wrong. Sonic 3 did come out on top, but Mufasa was not far behind. In fact, if we look at the five-day earnings, which includes Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday, Mufasa actually had a slight edge with $63.8 million. The community note that initially called out Disney for their claim has since been removed.
In terms of the global box office, Disney's claim for Mufasa being number one is also accurate. The Lion King prequel has raked in an impressive $327.9 million so far, while Sonic's return has earned $211.5 million.
Internationally, Mufasa also performed slightly better over the weekend, bringing in $114.2 million compared to Sonic 3's $112 million. It's clear that both films are neck and neck in terms of success.
For those who haven't seen either film yet, Mufasa follows the origin story of the powerful lion king as an orphaned cub and his adopted brother Taka, who later becomes known as Scar. The star-studded cast includes Beyoncé, her daughter Blue Ivy Carter, Donald Glover, Mads Mikkelsen, Billy Eichner, and Seth Rogen. Meanwhile, Sonic 3 welcomes back Jim Carrey as Dr. Ivo Robotnik, alongside Keanu Reeves as the villainous Shadow the Hedgehog, Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Idris Elba as Knuckles, and Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Tails.
Metro reached out to Disney for comment on the confusion, but has not yet received a response. And if you have a celebrity story, video, or pictures, you can contact the entertainment team at The Agency through email, phone, or by visiting their Submit Stuff page. They would love to hear from you.
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