Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 continue their battle for box office dominance. Both debuted in theaters on the same day, December 20, 2024, and thrived over the holiday weekend as the latest juggernauts in their respective franchises. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 erupted from the video game franchise and serves as a sequel to the 2020 and 2022 movies. Mufasa, on the other hand, serves as the sequel to Disney’s live-action remake, The Lion King (2019), which earned $1.65 billion at the worldwide box office.

According to a report by ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Mufasa and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 reached the $230 million domestic milestone in the same weekend. Both remain neck-and-neck despite having been in theaters for roughly seven weeks. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is slightly ahead of Mufasa, having earned $230.5 million to Mufasa‘s $230 million. Still, Mufasa earned $6.6 million this weekend, and its rival earned just $3.25 million.

What The Box Office Race Means For Sonic And Mufasa

Sonic Is Losing Momentum, While Mufasa Roars To Victory

This box office battle seems to be a classic example of the tortoise and the hare. Mufasa initially opened with just $35.4 million at the domestic box office, while Sonic enjoyed a strong $60.1 million in its opening weekend. Since then, the Lion King prequel gradually gained speed in the following weeks, ultimately catching up with the Paramount movie. This also comes as Mufasa enjoyed minimal weekly drops, indicating its appeal to families during the holidays and slow January release. At this rate, the Disney movie is very likely to surpᴀss the third Sonic movie by next week. Check out the chart below, which showcases the momentum swing:

On the other hand, Mufasa has been dominant overseas, ushering in over $400 million. Meanwhile, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 sits under $225 million, which is not too shabby but doesn’t reach the level that the Lion King prequel achieved. This makes sense since the Disney franchise may have a broader appeal internationally. Thus, the ultimate battle has been at home, with Mufasa now thousands of dollars away from overtaking Sonic 3.

Our Take On Mufasa And Sonic’s Compeтιтion

Both Are Still Complete Successes

Even though Mufasa is likely to win internationally and domestically, both movies are successful by studio standards. With a budget of $200 million, Mufasa needed $500 million to achieve box office success after subtracting marketing costs and theater cuts. With over $600 million already, it is easily profitable. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 enjoyed similar success, closing in on the $450 million milestone while on a $122 million budget. Both Disney and Paramount should be happy with their results, even if Mufasa: The Lion King did have a slow start.

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Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline