NEW YORK (AP) — Paramount Pictures’ “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” tops Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” in battle of big-budget family movies this holiday season. won the position. Box office sales increased ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 opened last weekend with $62 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates. Strong reviews (86% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and high scores from audiences (‘A’ on CinemaScore) make Sonic 3 a top choice in movie theaters during the busiest time of the year for movies. It’s in a good location.
It spoke to a broader trend in which “Sonic 3,” which made $122 million, beat out one of Disney’s top films. Video game adaptations, once one of the most derided movie genres, have emerged in recent years as one of the most reliable box office draws. The previous two Sonic movies have collectively grossed more than $700 million worldwide, and it seems likely that the third Sonic movie will outperform those two. A fourth Sonic movie is already in development.
However, “Mufasa” performed poorly in its opening weekend, with domestic ticket sales of $35 million, significantly lower than expected. The photorealistic Lion King prequel had a wider release than Sonic 3, opening in 4,100 theaters compared to Sonic 3’s 3,761 and filling most IMAX screens. I did my best.
But “Sonic 3” nearly doubled the revenue of “Mufasa,” which cost more than $200 million to make. Disney could count on $87.2 million in international sales to make up the difference. The third “Sonic” will roll out in most international markets in the coming weeks.
Ben Schwartz returns as the voice of the hedgehog in Jeff Fowler’s Sonic 3, with Tails the fox (Colleen O’Shaughnessy), Knuckles the echidna (Idris Elba), and Jim Carrey reprising his role as Dr. Robotnik. and steals the scene. And his grandfather.
‘Moonlight’ director Barry Jenkins announces ‘Mufasa’ voice cast, including Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Mads Mikkelsen and Blue Ivy Carter is supervised. The film follows Jon Favreau’s 2019 photorealistic remake of The Lion King, which grossed $1.66 billion worldwide despite mixed reviews. be. Mufasa fell short of the film’s massive opening weekend gross of $191 million.
Many of Disney’s live-action films have been huge hits, including “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Jungle Book.” Movies like “Dumbo”, “Mulan”, and “The Little Mermaid” are not well received. The new movie “Snow White” will be released in March, “Lilo & Stitch” will be released in May, and many more movies are in the works, including plans to receive similar live-action treatment for “Moana” and “Rapunzel.” is.
Despite Mufasa’s quiet opening, Disney is still celebrating its best annual performance in years. The studio has generated more than $5 billion in ticket sales worldwide, including the year’s top two hits, “Inside Head 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine.” The anime “Moana 2” is set to close out the top three movies of the year. It has grossed $790.2 million worldwide in its first four weeks of release, including $13.1 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters this weekend.
Christmas is often when the year’s biggest movies are released, but the biggest box office boost this year was the November movies that were released around Thanksgiving. That includes “Moana 2” and Universal Pictures’ “Wicked,” which reached No. 3 in its fifth weekend.
Wicked, the hit musical starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, added $13.5 million in North American theaters, bringing its domestic box office total to $383.9 million.
These films, in particular, drove Hollywood’s recovery in 2024. Although the company recorded a large loss at the beginning of the year, overall sales are approaching 2023 sales. According to Comscore, the gap has narrowed to 4.4% compared to last year’s performance. That’s still significantly less than in pre-pandemic years, but it’s enough to upend what once looked like a tough year for movies.
Family films like “Inside Head 2,” “Moana 2” and “Sonic 3” play a big role. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore, noted that animated films accounted for 26% of this year’s box office revenue.
“The year’s box office was helped by family audiences being attracted to multiplexes,” Dergarabedian said.
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