Box Office: ‘Mufasa’ Triumphs in First Weekend of 2025, ‘Sonic’ Franchise Crosses $1 Billion

variety.com:

Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Turns out, “Mufasa” just had to wait to be king. Disney’s “Lion King” prequel is No.

1 at the domestic box office after trotting behind “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” for two consecutive weekends. (“Mufasa” claimed victory at the end of 2024 over the five-day holiday stretch, but “Sonic 3” was ever-so-slightly ahead during the traditional weekend.) “Mufasa” added an additional $24 million from 3,925 North American theaters in its third weekend of release, declining just 26% from its prior outing.

So far, the family friendly musical adventure about the future leader of Pride Lands has grossed $168 million domestically and $476 million globally.

Those are solid ticket sales after a rocky start in theaters. But “Mufasa” cost over $200 million to produce, and since theater owners get to keep half of revenues, the tentpole needs to keep stampeding through cinemas in the new year to justify its budget. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” slid to second place with $21.2 million from 3,746 venues in its third frame on the big screen, down 42% from the weekend before.