Mufasa: The Lion King Tops Box Office, Beats Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Mufasa: The Lion King has finally topped the box office, surpassing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 after a tight competition. The photoreal CG-animated prequel/sequel to the 2019 remake of The Lion King, directed by Barry Jenkins, raked in an impressive $24 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to nearly $170 million. Internationally, the film added another $77.3 million, pushing its worldwide gross to over $400 million.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Performance
While the rest of the story is far from over, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 gained $21 million in its third weekend and, as a result, pushed the domestic total near $190 million. With all this happening, Sonic 3 is still at least $70 million shy of edging past Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the highest-grossing film of the trilogy. The franchise also crossed the global $1 billion mark.
Box Office Battle
The box office fight between these two films has been followed quite closely, as Sonic the Hedgehog 3 had initially taken the lead. However, the continued consistency of Mufasa: The Lion King along with good word-of-mouth helped it gain pace and eventually took over the top spot. The film traces the origins of Simba’s father, Mufasa, a cub who rose to be the very venerated king of Pride Rock while his biological brother brother takes turns in the darker path by becoming Scar.
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Success of Mufasa: The Lion King
The success of Mufasa: The Lion King is a testament to the timeless attraction of Disney’s classic story, as well as the quality that the film entails. The movie’s voice cast is Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr., with Tiffany Boone, accompanied by music penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film has deeply resonated among audiences of any age, whom it has caught with its emotionally deep and richly visual portrayal.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Continues to Perform Well
Meanwhile, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 continues to go well. This is attributed to the entertaining storyline and returning fan favorites in the likes of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Dr. Ivo Robotnik, with a new addition: Sonic’s dark counterpart, Shadow, voiced by Keanu Reeves. Reviews of the movie are glowing in its mix of action and emotion and explain why it hits all the right notes both for faithful followers of the video game franchise and new audiences.
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Other Box Office Performers
Other movies also performed well at the box office, with Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu pulling in $13 million in its second weekend and Moana 2 adding $13 million in its sixth weekend. Universal’s Wicked closed out the top five with $10 million in its seventh weekend, even after it premiered on PVOD earlier in the week.
