“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” vs “Mufasa: The Lion King” Continues at the Box Office!

With no major releases happening this weekend, the battle between Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King continued at the box office.

Things are finally looking up (in a sense) for the latest feature-length offering by the House of Mouse. Don’t get me wrong. Mufasa: The Lion King didn’t set the box office aflame, especially compared to the $1.65 billion that The Lion King was able to make back in 2019. However, at least, the movie by director Barry Jenkins will be able to save face.

The CG-animated movie was able to claim the top spot at the box office with an approximate $23.8 million. This helped push the domestic haul to an estimated $168.6 million with the current global haul standing at $476 million against a reported production budget of around $200 million. So, yeah, a far cry from the predecessor’s performance.

I watched Mufasa: The Lion King, and while I liked how the story involved Kiara, the actual flashback-heavy movie was, frankly, unnecessary. In my opinion, it did nothing to make Mufasa or Scar more compelling characters than they were when they showed up decades ago in the original animated film. I feel Disney should have just adapted The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride from 1998.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 landed in second place with an approximate $21.2 million. The movie has gone on to collect $336 million at the global box office against a reported production budget of $122 million. For those who might not know, 2022’s Sonic 2 made $405 million while the first Sonic movie from 2020 made $320 million globally.

The two fandoms have been battling it out online. And I get it. I agree with the group that feels Sonic 3 is the superior film to Mufasa. But for some reason, the worldwide gross has helped the CG “realistic” lions take the lead. However, having said that, when it comes to the numbers, Sonic 3 is the one turning a profit for the studio. And we all know that at the end of the day, profit is what matters most. So, I’ll take this win!

Director Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu collected an estimated $13.2 million to come in third. It stars Bill Skarsgard, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Willem Dafoe.

I liked this particular take on the gothic horror tale. It has a reported budget of $50 million and has made more than $100 million worldwide as of writing this post.

As for the other entries, Moana 2 and Wicked continue to print money with $960.5 million and $681.2 million respectively. Starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, Wicked 2 or Wicked: For Good will be released sometime in November of this year. 

Disney, for some reason, will be releasing a live-action adaptation of Moana sometime in 2026 with Dwyane Johnson reprising his role as Maui. Actress Catherine Lagaʻaia has been cast as the titular heroine. 

Top 10 Box Office Chart (January 3 – January 5, 2025)

1. The Lion King: Mufasa – $23.8 million
2. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – $21.2 million
3. Nosferatu – $13.2 million
4. Moana 2 – $12.3 million
5. Wicked – $10.2 million
6. A Complete Unknown – $8 million
7. Babygirl – $4.4 million
8. Gladiator 2 – $2.6 million
9. Homestead – $2.1 million
10. The Fire Inside – $1.2 million

Which movie did you watch this week? Where do you stand on the Sonic 3 vs Mufasa discussion?

Let us know.

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(via Box Office Mojo, Beyond the Trailer)

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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