Sonic the Hedgehog declares victory over 'Mufasa' at domestic box office

Staff, 12/23/2024Sonic the Hedgehog 3 triumphs at the domestic box office with $62 million, surpassing Disney's Mufasa, which earned $35 million. While Mufasa leads globally with $122 million, Sonic solidifies its franchise strength. Angel Studios also scores with the post-apocalyptic thriller Homestead, earning $6 million.

It was an animal-kingdom cage-match at the weekend box office, with Barry Jenkins' live-action Lion King prequel Mufasa and Jeff Fowler's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in contention for the top spot.While Mufasa's wide international release easily won it gold at the global box office, Sonic grossed nearly double the Disney film's numbers domestically on fewer screens. The third in a series of action-packed adaptations of the original Sega video game from Paramount, Sonic the Hedgehog 3's domestic weekend gross totaled $62 million, per Comscore.The latest in Disney's string of live-action remakes, reboots, and prequels to classic animated films, meanwhile, finished its opening weekend with $35 million in the domestic market but roared to an impressive $122 million globally across 53 territories (compared to Sonic's 12).These two tussling for the crown is a surprising regime change from the recent box office; the dominant story for weeks has been the battle between Universal's Wicked and Disney's Moana II.The live-action and CGI hybrid Sonic the Hedgehog 3 follows from the 2022 sequel, another box office champ. It sees the return of director Fowler (the original film marked his feature directorial debut), as well as several franchise stars, including Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, James Marsden, Natasha Rothwell, Tika Sumpter, and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic.The studio behind last year's surprise hit Sound of Freedom is back with another hit in Homestead. Angel Studios has traded a sex-trafficking thriller with Christian overtones for a post-apocalyptic thriller with Christian overtones. Arriving at $6 million in its first week of release with no major studio backing or recognizable star anchoring the film is another major accomplishment.Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.Rounding out the domestic top 10 are Warner Bros. animated Lord of the Rings film The War of the Rohirrim in the ninth spot, and the Lionsgate ensemble comedy The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which is holding firm at the edge of the top 10 in its seventh week in release.

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