As a gamer with a soft spot for nostalgia and a keen eye for box office trends, I must say I was both surprised and disappointed by the opening weekend numbers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King.
Experts were right and wrong about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King.
As a fan, I was eagerly anticipating the box office performance of Sonic and Mufasa. Predictions had Sonic earning $60 million domestically and Mufasa at $50M. To my delight, Sonic indeed performed well, raking in a solid $62M. However, I was quite surprised to learn that Mufasa’s prequel managed only $35M at the box office.
There are issues with both numbers.
Why Sonic 3’s Weekend Box Office Is Slightly Frustrating
On Thursdays, the previews for Sonic 3 garnered a record-breaking $6.5 million, surpassing its trilogy counterparts. It edged out Sonic 2 by just a quarter of a million dollars, yet managed to lead. This slight victory sparked anticipation that perhaps the third installment might ascend to become the franchise’s highest grossing film at the box office.
Instead, let’s take a look at the cumulative totals for each film in the series, listed from earliest to most recent.
- Friday total (with previews): $20.9M, $26.3M, $25.7M,
- Saturday: $20.5M, $26.8M, $19.5M
- Sunday: $16.5, $18.8, $16.7M
- Total: $58M, $72.1M, $62M
Deadline had some notes:
According to Paramount, over two days, families accounted for 46% of their total audience, which resulted in lighter business on Saturday compared to usual. Contrastingly, “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” premiered on April 8, 2022 and attracted 59% of its audience from families. However, the business is expected to pick up after Christmas Day.
As exciting as opening weekend numbers are, total box office is what ultimately matters. You have to imagine families that would typically see a film opening weekend have end of year obligations or travel that might have interfered in theater-going. It’s still possible for Sonic 3 to win the race against its peers. (And for Sonic 4 to take the crown in 2027).
Why Mufasa’s Weekend Box Office Is Frustrating
Wow, it’s incredible! The initial domestic box office earnings for the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King amounted to a staggering $191.1 million. Let me say that again: an astounding $191.1 million!
The silver lining seems to be “it could have been worse.” But not by much. It’s an 82% drop.
Let’s take a look at the day-by-day comparison:
- Friday total (with previews): $77.9M, $13.3M
- Saturday: $61M, $11.8M
- Sunday: $52.8M, $9.9M
This number doesn’t seem to have any good aspects associated with it. However, let’s keep in mind that the rest of the holiday season is approaching. Perhaps the power of word-of-mouth will encourage families to visit the theater during the festive period, extending well into the New Year.
Here’s a more conversational approach: Hmm, it seems that the worldwide total didn’t progress any further. Now, I’ve got a fun question for you. Compared to the domestic drop of 82%, do you think the global box office decline is smaller, equal, or larger?
Mufasa’s global earnings over the weekend totaled $87 million, which is considerably more than its domestic earnings of $35M. However, how does it stack up against The Lion King, its predecessor? During its opening weekend, The Lion King made an astounding $269 million.
It’s a 68% drop, so slightly better than the domestic fall.
It’s likely that Disney will need to rethink their strategy for managing one of their major assets, as it appears they may have made some significant mistakes in its handling.
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2024-12-22 23:38