Sonic the Hedgehog proved to be the best beast at the box office, beating the latest Lion King offering by a wide margin.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 sped to the top, earning $62 million its first weekend in theaters, according to Box Office Mojo.
In this latest chapter, Sonic, Knuckles and Tails reunite against their powerful new adversary, Shadow, voiced by newcomer Keanu Reeves.
To defeat him, the trio must team up with Jim Carrey‘s Dr. Robotnik in an unlikely alliance.
The animated–live action hybrid based on the popular video game has been a winner with critics and fans alike, receiving an 86 percent fresh rating from critics and a near perfect 98-percent rating from moviegoers on Rotten Tomatoes.
Following in a distant second place was Mufasa: The Lion King.
The computer-animated tale is a prequel to the 1994 Academy Award–winning film The Lion King. It focuses on Simba’s father, Mufasa, and it earned $35 million in ticket sales.
That was just a fraction of what the 2019 computer-generated Lion King remake earned in its opening weekend, and far from the film’s reported budget of over $200 million.
Critics were not crazy about the latest offering in franchise, and the most prestigious critics surveyed by Rotten Tomatoes gave it only a 35-percent rotten score.
Audiences were much more enthusiastic, though, and awarded it with an 89-percent fresh rating.
Wicked remained strong in third place, conjuring up a $13.5 million payday over the weekend.
The musical starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande could see a big boost in ticket sales when sing-along versions of the musical arrive in theaters on Christmas day.
‘These sing-along screenings offer fans a unique opportunity to become part of the story they’ve embraced so enthusiastically,’ said Universal Studios president of domestic theatrical distribution Jim Orr in a press release.
‘There’s something extraordinarily special about experiencing this beloved musical together as a community, and we’re thrilled to create that opportunity this holiday season.’
Moana 2 was knocked off its first place perch, but sailed along nicely in fourth place, earning $13.1 million for the animated adventure starring Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho.
Homestead, the latest entry from faith-based Angel Studios debuted in fifth place.
The story, set in an apocalyptic near future stars Bailey Chase as a former green beret who joins a prepper compound where he finds community amid the chaos of a country torn asunder.
The film was shown in some 1,600 theaters and earned $6 million in spite of poor reviews by critics.
The movie served as a pilot for an upcoming series to be streamed on the Angel Studios app.
Gladiator II dropped out of the top five, landing in sixth place with $4.45 million.
The historical drama starring Paul Mescal as the title character has struggled to get a strong foothold at the US box office amid massive competition from Wicked: Part 1 and Moana 2, but has established itself globally, earning a worldwide total of $406.5 million so far.
The increased competition resulted in Kraven: The Hunter dropping from third to seventh place its second weekend in theaters.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the buff title character whose quest for vengeance turns him into the greatest hunter in the world.
The action-adventure earned $3.1 million in ticket sales, and many critics attributed its failure to its focus on a Spider-Man villain without the webslinger being features.
The Lord of the Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim tumbled to eighth place after two weeks in theaters.
The animated adventure experienced a dramatic 72-percent drop in ticket sales, earning a modest $1.27 million.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is still finding an audience this holiday season. The family friend film based on the classic children’s book unwrapped $825,000 over the weekend.
Daniel Craig’s turn in Queer landed in 10th place.
The drama about an American ex-pat who solitary life is quickly changed when he meets a young college student pulled in $364,220 in ticket sales.
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