‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ still No. 1 at holiday 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” edged out “Mufasa: The Lion King,” grossing $38 million this weekend 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, topped Disney’s animated prequel for the second straight week. “Mufasa: The Lion King” grossed $37.1 million Friday through Sunday, Comscore reported.

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)

The horror film “Nosferatu” opened strong at No. 3 with $21.1 million. Thanksgiving releases continued to perform well through the Christmas timeframe. Fourth place went to “Wicked,” which earned another $19.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $424.2 million.

FILE – Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande arrive at the premiere of ‘Wicked’ at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, Nov. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP File)

On Tuesday, the lavish movie musical will also be available to rent or purchase at home. It’s a move that has drawn some critics who believe making it available at home after only 40 days in theaters will cannibalize profits.

“Moana 2” rounded out the top five films this weekend with $18.2 million. The Disney movie has made $882.5 million globally and is closing in on $400 million domestically.

This image released by Disney shows the character Moana, voiced by Auli’i Cravalho, center, in a scene from “Moana 2.” (Disney via AP)

The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet, opened with $11.6 million for sixth place, followed by the sexual thriller “Babygirl” with Nicole Kidman, which opened with $4.3 million.

Timothee Chalamet poses for photographers upon arrival at the photo call for the film ‘A Complete Unknown’, in London, on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases were “Gladiator II” ($4.1 million), “Homestead” ($3.1 million) and “The Fire Inside” ($2 million).

Christmas Day was massive for the industry, with $61 million in ticket sales. Thursday was nearly as big, with $50 million.

“Every day was like Saturday at the box office because of the way the holidays lined up,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst.

Comscore is projecting that the year will net out with about $8.75 billion in domestic box office receipts. That’s down about 3.3 percent from last year, which cracked $9 billion, and the pre-pandemic normal of $11 billion. (With CNS report)