NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures鈥� sped past the Walt Disney Co.鈥檚 to take the top spot at the box office ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters.
鈥淪onic the Hedgehog 3鈥� debuted with $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates. With strong reviews (86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and a high score from audiences (an 鈥淎鈥� on CinemaScore), 鈥淪onic 3鈥� is well positioned to be the top choice in cinemas during the busiest moviegoing period of the year.
It was telling of some wider trends that 鈥淪onic 3鈥� 鈥� made for $122 million 鈥� bested one of Disney鈥檚 top properties. , once among the most derided movie genres, have emerged as one of the most dependable box office forces in recent years. The two previous 鈥淪onic鈥� movies together grossed more $700 million worldwide and the third installment appears likely to do better than both of them. A fourth 鈥淪onic鈥� movie is already in development.
鈥淢ufasa,鈥� however, was humbled in its opening weekend, coming in notably shy of expectations with $35 million in domestic ticket sales. The photorealistic 鈥淟ion King鈥� prequel even opened wider than 鈥淪onic 3,鈥� launching on 4,100 theaters and gobbling up most IMAX screens, compared with 3,761 locations for 鈥淪onic 3.鈥�
Yet 鈥淪onic 3鈥� nearly doubled the haul for 鈥淢ufasa,鈥� which cost more than $200 million to make. Disney could look to $87.2 million in international sales to help make up the difference. The third 鈥淪onic鈥� will rollout in most overseas markets in the coming weeks.
In director Jeff Fowler鈥檚 鈥淪onic 3,鈥� Ben Schwartz returns as the voice of the hedgehog, alongside Tails the Fox (Colleen O鈥橲haughnessey), Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) and Jim Carrey in scene-stealing dual roles as Dr. Robotnik and his grandfather.
voice cast, including , Kelvin Harrison Jr., Donald Glover, Beyonc茅 Knowles-Carter, Mads Mikkelsen and Blue Ivy Carter. It follows Jon Favreau鈥檚 2019 photorealistic 鈥淭he Lion King鈥� remake, which made $1.66 billion globally despite mixed reviews. 鈥淢ufasa鈥� didn鈥檛 come close to that film鈥檚 huge $191 million opening weekend.
Many of Disney鈥檚 live-action adaptations 鈥� including 鈥淎laddin,鈥� 鈥淏eauty and the Beast鈥� and 鈥淛ungle Book鈥� 鈥� have been big hits. Others, such as 鈥淒umbo,鈥� 鈥淢ulan鈥� and 鈥淭he Little Mermaid,鈥� have been less well received. More are on the way, including a new 鈥淪now White鈥� in March, 鈥淟ilo & Stitch鈥� in May, and plans for 鈥淢oana鈥� and 鈥淭angled鈥� to get the same live-action treatment.
Despite 鈥淢ufasa's鈥� muted opening, Disney is still celebrating its strongest annual performance in years. The studio has accounted for more than $5 billion in ticket sales worldwide, including the year鈥檚 top two hits: 鈥淚nside Out 2鈥� and 鈥淒eadpool and Wolverine.鈥� The animated is poised to round out the top three films of the year. In four weeks of release, it has collected $790.2 million globally, including $13.1 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters over this weekend.
Though Christmas often sees some of the biggest releases of the year, November movies released around Thanksgiving really drove the box office this year. That includes 鈥淢oana 2鈥� and Universal Pictures鈥� 鈥淲icked,鈥� which managed third place in its fifth weekend.
鈥淲icked,鈥� the hit musical adaption starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, added $13.5 million in North American theaters to push its domestic total to $383.9 million.
Those films, among others, have led a Hollywood rebound in 2024. After a significant deficit earlier in the year, overall sales are drawing close to those of 2023. According to Comscore, the gap has narrowed to 4.4% behind last year's results. While that鈥檚 still significantly less than pre-pandemic years, it鈥檚 enough to flip the script on what once looked like a rough year for the movies.
Family films like 鈥淚nside Out 2,鈥� 鈥淢oana 2鈥� and 鈥淪onic 3鈥� have played a major role. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, noted animated movies have accounted for 26% of this year's box office.
鈥淭he box office year was saved by the family audience being drawn to the multiplex,鈥� said Dergarabedian.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
