Sonic the Hedgehog 3 exceeded expectations by opening to a domestic debut of $62 million, making it the second-best December start for a PG movie in almost 20 years. The film, based on Sega’s classic video game, outperformed Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King, which fell short with a $35 million domestic debut. Despite this setback, Disney has crossed the $5 billion mark in global ticket sales for the first time since before the pandemic.
Directed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic 3 features a star-studded cast including Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, and Idris Elba. The film has received critical acclaim with an 88% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest in the franchise’s history. With an A CinemaScore and strong audience reception, Sonic 3 tells the story of Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails teaming up to face a new villain.
While Mufasa struggled to match Sonic’s success domestically, it has the advantage of playing in Imax and premium large format auditoriums, and Disney expects its performance to pick up during the Christmas holiday season. The film, which received mixed reviews, opened to $122.2 million globally, falling short of initial projections.
In addition to Sonic and Mufasa, Thanksgiving blockbusters like Wicked and Moana 2 continue to perform well at the box office. The specialty box office saw the successful opening of A24’s The Brutalist, generating strong numbers in limited screenings.
As more films enter the market leading up to Christmas Day, Hollywood hopes to continue narrowing the year-over-year revenue deficit at the box office. With recent successes and a strong lineup of upcoming releases, the industry is optimistic about ending the year on a high note.
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