The weekend box office results are in and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is ruling over the domestic charts! The third film in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise was released on December 20, 2024 and earned $62 million from 3,761 theatres across North America over the three-day opening weekend. Despite premiering on the same date, Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King had a much slower start. The Lion King prequel debuted with $35 million domestically.
Despite early predictions, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 exceeded expectations and opened higher than the first film in the franchise, which debuted at $58 million. However, the threequel remains slightly behind the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) which set the series record at $72.1 million. On the other hand, Mufasa: The Lion King has earned $87.2 million overseas, with its global collection going up to $122 million. Sonic the Hedgehog 3, however, hasn’t hit international theaters yet and is set to open overseas on December 25, 2024.
While it remains to be seen which film wil emerge as the winner internationally, Disney has a lot to celebrate. With the release of Mufasa: The Lion King, Disney has crossed the $5 billion mark in global ticket sales in 2024. This makes Disney the first studio to do so since before the Covid-19 pandemic and also marks the sixth time Disney has hit this milestone since 2010.
| Rank | Movie Title | Days in Theaters | Distributor | Weekend Gross | Domestic Box Office | International Box Office | Global Box Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | 3 | Paramount Pictures | $62,000,000 | $62,000,000 | $1,377,470 | $63,377,470 |
| 2 | Mufasa: The Lion King | 3 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | $35,000,000 | $35,000,000 | $87,200,000 | $122,200,000 |
| 3 | Wicked | 31 | Universal Pictures | $13,500,000 | $383,915,875 | $187,394,000 | $571,309,875 |
| 4 | Moana 2 | 26 | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | $13,100,000 | $359,068,328 | $431,100,000 | $790,168,328 |
| 5 | Homestead | 3 | Angel Studios | $6,066,710 | $6,066,710 | Not yet available | $6,066,710 |
| 6 | Gladiator II | 31 | Paramount Pictures | $4,450,000 | $153,937,987 | $252,600,000 | $406,537,987 |
| 7 | Kraven: The Hunter | 10 | Sony Pictures Releasing | $3,100,000 | $17,434,701 | $25,400,000 | $42,834,701 |
| 8 | The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim | 10 | Warner Bros. | $1,270,000 | $7,370,171 |
$8,000,000
|
$15,370,171 |
| 9 | The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | 49 | Lionsgate | $825,000 | $38,454,951 | $200,759 | $38,655,710 |
| 10 | Red One | 38 | Amazon MGM Studios | $416,000 | $94,332,934 | $86,600,000 | $180,932,934 |
Jim Carrey Talks About Playing Two Characters in ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 3’
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 sees Ben Schwartz reprising his role as the voice of Sonic, while Idris Elba joins him as Knuckles along with Colleen O’Shaughnessey taking on the role of Tails. The story follows Sonic, Tails and Knuckles going up against the mysterious hedgehog Shadow, voiced by Keany Reeves. Hollywood veteran Jim Carrey delivers a powerful dual performance in the film as Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his grandfather and Shadow’s creator, Gerald Robotnik.
While speaking with Screen Rant Plus, Carrey opened up about how difficult it was for him to play two roles in the film. Carrey joined the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise with its first film back in 2020. He then reprised his role for the 2022 sequel. However, the third installment was the most challenging for him. According to the actor, Gerald comes from a tougher generation than Ivo, and he really wanted to make sure that came through in his acting.
While talking about the technical aspect of filming, Carrey revealed that the physical act of performing a scene with his own self wasn’t easy. He revealed that he had an actor named Brendan Murphy working with him to perform the other part for reference. “It was technically very difficult,” admitted Carrey. He added that while acting with Murphy, he was actually reacting to his own voice coming from the speakers, which was pretty disorienting. However, despite all that, Carrey revealed that he had a fantastic time on set and finds the overall Sonic lore extremely fascinating.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now playing in theaters across North America. Paramount is currently developing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 which is set for release in 2027.
 |
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) |
|---|---|
| Cast | Ben Schwartz (voice of Sonic), Idris Elba (voice of Knuckles), Colleen O’Shaughnessey (voice of Tails), James Marsden, Tika Sumpter |
| Release Date | December 20, 2024 |
| Stream On | Not yet available for streaming; theatrical release only |
| Directed by | Jeff Fowler |
| Produced by | Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara, Hitoshi Okuno |
| Based On | Sonic the Hedgehog video game series by Sega |
| Plot Summary | Sonic teams up with Tails and Knuckles to stop a new villain threatening their world while navigating personal challenges. |
| Musical Elements | Score by Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL); includes high-energy themes aligned with the Sonic franchise. |
| Current Status | Released in theaters on December 20, 2024; box office leader during its opening weekend. |
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