Box Office: ‘Mufasa’ Climbs Above ‘Sonic 3’ to Lead First Weekend of 2025

variety.com:

J. Kim Murphy The holiday box office is winding down this weekend as “Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” continue to lead charts and draw family audiences before schools go back in session.

Though “Mufasa” was above “Sonic 3” across much of the holiday weekdays, this third outing will mark its first three-day weekend frame as No.

1. It had to wait to be king, but now the Disney prequel is on top after earning an estimated $7.6 million on Friday.The digitally-rendered animal musical from director Barry Jenkins has now crossed $150 million in North America and has entered into the top 15 earners among 2024 domestic releases.

It’s been steady business through the holidays for “Mufasa” after a slow start, though ultimately it still hasn’t matched the $191 million that its predecessor, the 2019 “Lion King” remake, earned in its domestic opening weekend alone.