fbpx

‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ Outpaces ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ With US$62 Million Debut

A new opening box office chart-topper is in town, and it isn’t Mufasa: The Lion King. Instead, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has claimed the crown, racking up US$62 million in its first weekend of release in the U.S. – almost double that of its Disney counterpart’s earnings.

Paramount’s third outing featuring the iconic blue speedster beat initial projections of US$55 million to US$60 million, putting it above the opening of the original 2020 film (US$58 million) but below its sequel, which brought in a series-best of US$72 million in March 2022. In comparison, Mufasa: The Lion King fell behind expectations of US$50 million with a US$35 million debut. It also missed the global start of S$122.2 million, notching only US$87.2 million.

Advertisement ▼

Not all hope is lost, however. Despite the mixed reception, the prequel movie has scored largely positive reviews from audiences on CinemaScore, receiving praise for its music that incudes original songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Trailing behind are Wicked in third place, which added US$13.3 million to a US$571 million global gross, followed by Moana 2 in No. 4. The animated adventure is set to be Disney’s third movie to cross US$1 billion this year, and currently stands at US$790 million worldwide.

Meanwhile, the cinematic future of Sonic the Hedgehog continues to be optimistic. The first two films, based on Sega’s long-running video game franchise, have generated a combined US$725 million at the international box office, with the latest threequel expected to bring in a bigger haul when it releases globally on 25/26 December. A fourth installment is currently in the works.

Sonic the Hedgehog Mysterious Character Potential Sequel

Helmed by returning director Jeff Fowler, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 reunites the voice cast of Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails, played by Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation), Idris Elba (Luther), and Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Danny Phantom), respectively. In it, the trio seek out an unlikely alliance to stop a new enemy, Shadow the Hedgehog (Kenau Reeves, John Wick), and protect the planet.