‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ beats ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ at box office

This image released by Paramount Pictures and Sega of America shows the character Sonic, voiced by Ben Schwartz, in a scene from “Sonic the Hedgehog 3.” (Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc. via AP)

LOS ANGELES – “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” was the clear winner at the box office this weekend in a landscape heavily weighted toward family pictures, opening with $62 million to lead all films in North America, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

Paramount’s animated adventure, which features Jim Carrey voicing the villain and Ben Schwartz as the title character, placed comfortably ahead of the other big animated film opening this week, Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which made $35 million, Comscore reported.

That’s a disappointing total for the heavily hyped prequel to 2019’s remake of Disney’s beloved 1994 classic, especially considering its massive budget — reportedly around $300 million when marketing costs are factored in.

This image released by Disney shows characters Afia, voiced by Anika Noni Rose, left, Mufasa, voiced by Braelyn Rankins, center, and Masego, voiced by Keith David, in a scene from “Mufasa: The Lion King.” (Disney via AP)

“Wicked” nabbed third place with $13.5 million in its fifth week of release, edging out “Moana 2,” which made $13.1 million in its fourth weekend in theaters.
“Homestead,” a faith-based action film from Angel Studios, opened with $6 million to nab fifth place.
“Gladiator II” took sixth place with $4.4 million Friday through Sunday in its fifth week.
Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases were “Kraven the Hunter” ($3.1 million), “Red One” ($1.4 million), “Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” ($1.2 million) and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” ($825,000).

In director Jeff Fowler’s “Sonic 3,” Ben Schwartz returns as the voice of the hedgehog, alongside Tails the Fox (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) and Jim Carrey in scene-stealing dual roles as Dr. Robotnik and his grandfather.

Barry Jenkins directs “Mufasa’s” voice cast, including Aaron Pierre, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Donald Glover, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Mads Mikkelsen and Blue Ivy Carter.

Tina Knowles, from left, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Blue Ivy Carter arrive at the premiere of “Mufasa: The Lion King” on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

It follows Jon Favreau’s 2019 photorealistic “The Lion King” remake, which made $1.66 billion globally despite mixed reviews. “Mufasa” didn’t come close to that film’s huge $191 million opening weekend.

“We felt strongly that the marketplace could support both movies and we’re certainly holding up our side of the bargain,” said Chris Aronson, distribution chief for Paramount.