The box office battle between Disney’sMufasa: The Lion Kingand Paramount’sSonic the Hedgehog 3reached its climax this weekend, withMufasafinally edging pastSonic 3after two weekends of trailing the Blue Blur, which isn’t surprising as Sonic is a super-powered hedgehog who can run very fast, whereas Mufasa is simply a lion. TheBarry Jenkins-directed prequel/sequel toThe Lion Kingearned an estimated $24 million, narrowly taking the top spot and pushing its domestic total to nearly $170 million. WhileMufasahas been slow to recoup its reported $200 million budget, its worldwide gross now stands at over $400 million and is proof thatyou should never judge a moviereleased over the holidays in its opening weekend.
Meanwhile,Sonic the Hedgehog 3added an estimated $21 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to nearly $190 million.The film is about $70 million awayfrom overtakingSonic the Hedgehog 2to become the highest-grossing installment in the trilogy, which it should comfortably manage. The franchise also topped the $1 billion mark over the weekend which is a mark of how popular they are, but also how successful a well-made and well-budgeted series of films can be. The weekend also saw some impressive performances from other films, with the top five grossing over $100 million combined:
Weekend Gross
Domestic Total
Worldwide Total
Mufasa: The Lion King
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
What Else Did Well This Weekend at the Box Office?
Robert Eggers’Nosferatucontinued its strong run in third place, earning $13 million in its second weekend and bringing its domestic total to $70 million.The moviehasn’t been hurt by talk of walkouts at certain moments and, in fact, has probably been helped by that. All being well, it is set to become the third-biggest horror movie of 2024.
In fourth place,Moana 2added just under $13 million in its sixth weekend, pushing its domestic total to a staggering $425 million. The movie will hit a billion worldwide very soon, which would make it the third Disney movie of 2024 to pass that milestone. Despite mixed reviews, audiences have come in numbers to see Moana and Maui hit the seas again.
Universal’sWickedrounded out the top five with $10 million in its seventh weekend, even after debuting on PVOD earlier this week. Its domestic total now stands at $450 million. The decision to release it on Digital so soon might seem like a strange one, but going by the sheer amount of people who appear to have purchased it already, combined with the ongoing box office tally and the attention the movie will get during awards season, its box office journey hasn’t headed for the western skies quite yet.
The remainder of the top ten was exactly as it was the week before, withA Complete Unknown,Babygirl,Gladiator II, Homestead,andThe Fire Insiderounding things off.
Stay tuned to Collider for morebox office updates.
Simba, having become king of the Pride Lands, is determined for his cub to follow in his paw prints while the origins of his late father Mufasa are explored.
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