December 22nd 2024.
As the holiday season approaches, the competition among big-budget family movies is heating up. In this fierce battle, Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" has taken the lead, surpassing Disney's "Mufasa: The Lion King" to claim the top spot at the box office. With an impressive debut of $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend, "Sonic 3" has received glowing reviews and high praise from audiences, making it a strong contender for the most popular film during the busiest time of the year for moviegoers.
It's quite remarkable that "Sonic 3" has outperformed one of Disney's most beloved properties, especially considering that it was made with a relatively modest budget of $122 million. This success is a testament to the growing popularity of video game adaptations, which were once ridiculed as a movie genre but have now become a reliable force at the box office. The previous two "Sonic" films collectively earned over $700 million worldwide, and it's likely that the third installment will surpass both of them. In fact, a fourth "Sonic" movie is already in the works!
Meanwhile, "Mufasa" didn't fare as well in its opening weekend, bringing in only $35 million in domestic ticket sales, falling short of expectations. Despite its impressive cast and stunning visuals, the prequel to "The Lion King" received poor reviews from critics. However, audiences still gave it a respectable "A-" CinemaScore. With a budget of over $200 million, Disney is counting on international sales of $87.2 million to make up for the lackluster domestic performance. The film will also be released in most overseas markets in the coming weeks.
In "Sonic 3," we see the return of Ben Schwartz as the voice of the hedgehog, joined by fan favorites Tails the Fox and Knuckles the Echidna, as well as Jim Carrey in his hilarious dual roles as Dr. Robotnik and his grandfather. On the other hand, "Mufasa" boasts an impressive voice cast led by director Barry Jenkins, including Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Mads Mikkelsen, and Blue Ivy Carter. Despite the star-studded lineup, it couldn't match the massive success of Jon Favreau's 2019 live-action remake of "The Lion King," which earned a whopping $1.66 billion globally, despite mixed reviews. "Mufasa" fell short of that film's impressive $191 million opening weekend.
Despite the underwhelming performance of "Mufasa," Disney is still celebrating its strongest year at the box office in recent years, with over $5 billion in ticket sales worldwide. The studio's top two hits of the year, "Inside Out 2" and "Deadpool and Wolverine," have collectively earned more than any other films this year. "Moana 2," the highly anticipated animated sequel, is also expected to bring in significant numbers, with a global total of $790.2 million in just four weeks, including $13.1 million in the US and Canada over the weekend.
While Christmas is usually a prime time for major movie releases, this year's Thanksgiving weekend saw some of the biggest hits, including "Moana 2" and "Wicked," from Universal Pictures, which claimed third place in its fifth week. The highly-anticipated film adaptation of the hit musical, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, has now earned a total of $383.9 million domestically.
These family-friendly films have played a major role in the Hollywood rebound this year, with movies like "Inside Out 2," "Moana 2," and "Sonic 3" drawing in a large audience. In fact, animated films have accounted for 26.5% of this year's box office, helping to narrow the gap between this year's sales and those of the previous year. While it's still a significant decrease from pre-pandemic years, it's a significant improvement from earlier in the year.
In other box office news, Christian-themed Angel Studios' latest release, "Homestead," opened with $6.1 million. The film follows a group of Doomsday preppers seeking shelter in a self-sufficient compound after a nuclear attack in California. Additionally, Brady Corbet's "The Brutalist," an Oscar contender, had an impressive debut weekend, earning an average of $66,698 per screen in just four theaters in New York and Los Angeles. The epic post-World War II film, starring Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce, runs for three-and-a-half hours, making it challenging to attract a wide audience. However, with seven Golden Globe nominations, the distributor, A24, is hoping to make it a successful arthouse event.
The final domestic box office figures will be released on Monday. In the meantime, estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, are as follows:
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.
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