There is a great deal of context surrounding the $60 million No. 1 opening weekend ofSonic the Hedgehog 3and its place in the overall franchise. The 2024 movie, which was directed by Jeff Fowler, stars Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, Krysten Ritter, Natasha Rothwell, Shemar Moore, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, and Keanu Reeves. It is the third feature-length installment in the live-action franchise adapting the video game franchise of the same name, which launched in 2020 and also includes the Paramount+ spinoff seriesKnuckles, focusing on the adventures of the titular echidna voiced by Elba.
TheSonic the Hedgehog 3releasekicked off the weekend before Christmas in 2024. Also opening that weekend wasMufasa: The Lion King, Disney’s photorealistic CG-animated prequel to their 2019 smash hit remake of the traditionally animated 1994 classicThe Lion King. The 2019 movie grossed $1.662 million, which is more money than both of the previousSonicmovies earned worldwide, combined. Nevertheless,the newSonicmovie took No. 1 at the domestic box office, most likely due to a variety of factors. However, this opening weekend chart performance does not necessarily impact how it compares to the general trilogy.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Character Guide: Every New & Returning Actor In The Cast
Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s cast brings back many of the stars and supporting characters of previous entries, along with a big new star as Shadow.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Beat Mufasa: The Lion King To Be #1 At The Box Office
The Disney Movie Should Have Been Major Competition
While the movie itself featured aShadow vs. Sonicshowdown, the domestic box office pittedSonicvs.Mufasaand the former came out on top. The video game adaptation raked in a 3-day total of $60.1 million, whilethe Disney prequel only earned $35.4 million, falling well below its initial projections of roughly $50 million, which were already nearly one-quarter of the 2019 movie’s opening weekend of $191.8 million.Mufasanevertheless took No. 2 above Thanksgiving’s holdover hitsWickedandMoana 2. Below, see the full Top 5 chart at the domestic box office during the weekend of December 20:
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
$60.1 million
2
$35.4 million
3
$14.1 million
4
$13.2 million
5
Homestead
$6 million
In addition to beatingMufasain the raw numbers during their mutual opening weekend,Sonic the Hedgehog 3’s domestic debut looks even better when compared to the movies' relative budgets. TheLion Kingprequel reportedly cost $200 million, which - given the fact that movies typically need to earn at least two and a half times their budget in theaters - means that its break-even point is likely somewhere around $500 million.The considerably cheaperSonicmovie only cost a reported $122 million, likely placing its break-even point at around $305 million, a milestone toward which it is already racing.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3’s Box Office Is Helped By A Great Reception
It Has Franchise-Best Rotten Tomatoes Scores
One thing that could be helping the new movie succeed at the box office is the fact thatSonic the Hedgehog 3reviewshave been almost invariably glowing. Although every installment in the franchise has earned a Fresh score on the review aggregator web site Rotten Tomatoes, the third movie’s Certified Fresh score of 88% from critics on the Tomatometer and Verified Hot score of 97% from audiences on the Popcornmeter arethe best of the entire franchise on both meters. Below, see a breakdown of the Rotten Tomatoes scores for the entire franchise, including theKnucklesspinoff show:
64%
93%
Sonic the Hedgehog 2(2022)
69%
96%
75%
67%
Sonic the Hedgehog 3(2024)
88%
97%
Sonic the Hedgehog 3also has the best scores from users on Letterboxd (3.7 out of 5 compared to 2.9 for the first movie and 3.1 forSonic the Hedgehog 2) and IMDb (7.5 out of 10 compared to 6.5 and 6.5).It is also the peak for the franchise on Metacritic, according to both critics (59 out of 100 compared to 47 and 47) and users (8.6 out of 10 compared to 8.0 and 8.1). With so many people in agreement across the board, it hardly seems unusual that this positive response is translating to commercial success.
How Sonic The Hedgehog 3’s Opening Weekend Compares To The Previous Two Sonic Movies
It Is Not The Best Of The Trilogy
While its critical success is unparalleled among the franchise, the new installment has struggled somewhat to compete with the theatrical success of the debuts both of the previouslive-actionSonic the Hedgehogmovies. While it was originally projected to earn the highest-grossing opening weekend of the entire franchise, its $60.1 million haul just barely scrapes past the debut of the original movie to earn itthe franchise’s second-best opening weekend behindSonic the Hedgehog 2. Below, see a breakdown of the opening weekends of all three installments, compared to their worldwide box office totals where applicable:
$58 million
$319.7 million
$72.1 million
$405.4 million
TBD
The fact thatSonic the Hedgehog 3has fallen behind its immediate predecessor could have something to do with that fact thatits competition for the weekend was another movie aimed at younger children and families. Neither of the previous installments had aMufasa-style new release with a PG rating to contend with during their debuts. The original 2020 movie debuted at No. 1 opposite the PG-13 Blumhouse horror movie reimaginingFantasy Islandwhile the 2022 sequel opened, also at No. 1, opposite the R-rated Michael Bay thrillerAmbulance.
What Sonic 3’s Opening Weekend Means For Its Box Office Future
The Franchise Has A Bright Future In Theaters
Two factors that have cast some doubt about the prospects ofSonic the Hedgehog 3is the fact that its Sunday collapsed during its opening weekend, which is what accounts for it coming in so far below its original projections. On Christmas Day, it alsoslipped to No. 3 amid an onslaught of new holiday releasesthat includedBabygirl,Nosferatu,The Fire Inside, andA Complete Unknown. However, given the fact that the original movie’s 2020 theatrical release was cut short amid COVID-19 related shutdowns, its overall prospects are still looking quite solid compared to the rest of the franchise.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3took No. 3 at the domestic box office on Christmas Day, being usurped byMufasa: The Lion Kingat No. 1 and the new release horror remakeNosferatuat No. 2.
IfSonic the Hedgehog 3can maintain its pace behind the second movie,it will likely hit a total of roughly $340 million by the end of its run. While this only just gets it past its estimated $305 million break-even point, the fact that theupcomingSonic the Hedgehog 4was announced ahead of the new movie’s debut shows that producers and distributors are confident that the 2024 sequel will earn more than enough to justify its costs between its theatrical run, video on demand rentals and purchases, and merchandising tie-ins.
Cast
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 reunites Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails as they face a formidable new adversary, Shadow. With Shadow’s unprecedented powers posing a significant threat, Team Sonic seeks an unexpected alliance to thwart his plans and safeguard the planet.
