It’s a tight race between the still speeding “Sonic 3” and the resurgent “Mufasa” for No. 1, with the hedgehog currently having the edge with an estimated $37.4 million Fri.-Sun. total that is just a 38% drop from its $60 million opening weekend. “Mufasa” is just behind with an estimated $35 million, matching its opening weekend total.

The face-off between furry mammals rages on at the holiday box office, with Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” continuing to lead domestic charts. The videogame-inspired threequel earned another $12.6 million on Friday to boost its North American tally to $112 million.

At this point, 2024 will have an adequate Christmas compared to recent years. Grosses for December 25 and 26 are about $5 million ahead of 2023. But the $116 million two-day total was dramatically lower than the years before COVID struck.

That success for “Mufasa” isn’t coming at the expense of “Sonic 3,” which continues to hum along with $10.3 million on Wednesday. The video game adaptation now has $88 million domestic and should reach $125-130 million by Sunday as it begins its overseas rollout.

Revisiting 2024 box office predictions highlights missed expectations for “Mufasa,” “Joker,” “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool” and more

“Mufasa: The Lion King,” Disney’s live-action prequel to “The Lion King,” opened with a whimper this past box office weekend. According to Variety, “Mufasa” debuted with “$35 million from 4,100 cinemas” — a far cry from its “pre-release expectations of $50 million.”

Christmas proved to be a popular day for U.S. moviegoers, with viewers contributing to a $14.7 million day for Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” according to multiple outlets, as the live-action film took the No.

It's looking like a very merry holiday for moviegoing as a flurry of titles, including Oscar contenders 'A Complete Unknown' and 'Babygirl,' open.

Adult-skewing titles are posting heftier than expected box office returns, while Mufasa mauled Sonic 3 on Christmas Day. The post Holiday Box Office Update & Predictions: Mufasa and Sonic 3 are (nearly) too close to call for the Holiday weekend appeared first on JoBlo.

Rumors of Mufasa's demise were greatly exaggerated. The lion beat Sonic, Dracula, and Bob Dylan on Christmas Day.