‘Sonic 3’ nearly doubles ‘Mufasa’ in opening weekend

After all, he is the fastest thing alive. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” rolls around atop the box office in its North American opening, collecting $25.7 million from 3,761 locations on Friday and previews. Meanwhile, “Mufasa: The Lion King” will land in second place, having earned $13.3 million from 4,100 sites so far over the same time frame.

In what some expected to be a more even box office match-up between two family-friendly features starring CG critters, Paramount’s “Sonic” sequel has broken out well ahead of “Mufasa” in its debut. While mid-December weekends can often seem like the calm before the storm, with the public putting off movie screenings as it prepares for the holidays, that doesn’t slow the Blue Blur down here. “Sonic 3” was almost the best the $26 million opening day that “Sonic 2” earned back in April 2022. The film should have no trouble surpassing its projections, which had predicted an opening between $55 million and $60 million.

It’s a strong start for the $122 million production. And even better, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” has a few weeks ahead where kids are out of school and cooped-up parents are eager for family activities outside. The end of the year is often the calendar when theatrical releases multiply the best, and “Sonic 3” has franchise-best reviews on its side along with a glowing response from ticket buyers. Moviegoer Cinema Score gave the film a glowing A grade, indicating an enthusiastic response from fans.

Jeff Fowler returned to direct the third “Sonic,” which sees the Ben Schwartz-voiced hedgehog team up with Tails the Fox (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) and his human father figure (James Marsden) to take up the fight. the really edgy Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves) and the moustached Dr. Robotnik (Jim) Carrey, returns in dual roles this time).

Knocking much harder on a healthy holiday season multiplier is Disney’s “Mufasa,” which settles for a distant second with a much beefier production budget north of $200 million. Directed by “Moonlight” Oscar winner Barry Jenkins in his long-awaited follow-up to “If Beale Street Could Talk,” the effects-heavy feature serves as an original prequel to the photorealistic 2019 “Lion King” remake directed by Jon Favreau.

While December opening weekends are rarely as booming as summer’s, “Sonic 3” proves that audiences will still prioritize a new event movie around the holiday season if forced to. “Mufasa” is expected to have a $35 million opening weekend, marking a deep drop from the $191 million domestic debut of its 2019 predecessor.

Rather ho-hum reviews haven’t added any hype either, though audiences are much friendlier, with an A grade from Cinema Score (although that’s also down from the A grade that 2019’s “Lion King” earned). Even with a strong holiday multiplier still in the cards after this lackluster start, Disney is banking heavily on an international audience to make “Mufasa” a theatrical success. “The Lion King” is seen as a global brand. The 2019 remake roared to over $1 billion overseas, and this prequel is expected to top the international box office this weekend (“Sonic 3” doesn’t open in most territories until Christmas).

At least Disney doesn’t have to sweat “Moana 2,” which is now battling for third place after adding another $3 million on Friday. The animated musical sequel is now past $350 million in North America and could surpass “Despicable Me 4” ($361 million) by the end of the weekend, which would make it the fourth-highest-grossing domestic release of the year. Worldwide, “Moana 2” has now cleared $725 million.

It’s battling Universal’s “Wicked” for bronze on domestic charts. The two-part adaptation of the smash Broadway musical awaits another $14 million in its fifth weekend, pushing its domestic haul north of $384 million. With the holiday season in full swing, the $400 million milestone is not far off.

Fifth place will go to Angel Studios’ “Homestead,” a faith-based drama that follows a camp that survives an apocalyptic attack on the United States and that — spoilers — serves as a kind of stealth pilot for a new TV series that displays proudly at the end of the film. It may have had a sour effect on the audience; Cinema Score was given a B grade, much lower than the usual A range for Angel Studios releases. “Homestead” earned about $2.8 million Friday from 1,886 locations and hopes to get north of $5 million in its three-day opening.

Outside of the top five, Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter” falls out of the bottom in its second weekend. The Marvel anti-hero feature drops to seventh, projecting $3.1 million for its second outing. That’s a staggering 72% from its already lackluster debut — much steeper than the 61% drop the studio’s sister cartoon feature “Madame Web” faced earlier this year. “The Collar” now ranks behind the fifth frame of fellow R-rated actioner “Gladiator II”; that Paramount release should add another $4.8 million this weekend and has now passed $150 million domestically.