Lion King prequel falls prey to Sonic the Hedgehog at the box office
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Ben Schwartz voices the titular character in Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
PHOTO: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
LOS ANGELES – Disney’s mighty lion Mufasa... eaten alive by a hedgehog?
Action-adventure comedy film Sonic The Hedgehog 3, directed by Jeff Fowler, collected roughly US$62 million (US$84 million) in its first weekend in North American theatres, according to Comscore, which compiles box-office data.
The PG-rated movie cost Paramount Pictures about US$122 million to make, not including marketing costs. Ticket buyers gave Sonic 3 an A grade in CinemaScore exit polls, and reviews were mostly positive, setting up the fuzzy blue speedball for strong word of mouth among families over the Christmas holiday.
In second place, Mufasa: The Lion King, a photorealistic Lion King prequel which features pop star Beyonce and her daughter Blue Ivy Carter in voice roles, collected around US$35 million – about 30 per cent less than Disney expected. Mufasa, which cost more than US$200 million to make, not including marketing, received an A-minus grade in CinemaScore exit polls. Reviews were weak.
Adding to the humiliation for Disney, Mufasa had a wider release than Sonic 3 and was booked at 400 Imax theatres, where tickets sell for a premium price. Sonic 3 was not shown in Imax.
Mufasa was directed by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, 2016) and features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Disney expects the movie to make up ground in North America over the Christmas holiday, which is traditionally the busiest time of year for theatres. Disney cited strong scores from families – five out of five stars – in PostTrak exit polls and other positive audience feedback as boding well. NYTIMES
