This holiday season saw the releases of Sonic 3 and Mufasa the Lion King. Both movies saw heavy competition, as Sonic 3 took over the USA box office, but Mufasa took over the international box office. Sonic 3 was a sequel to Sega and Paramount Pictures’ Sonic 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog movie series. Disney Studios produced Mufasa the Lion King, the prequel to the successful Lion King franchise.
Sonic 3 received excellent reviews, including a 98 percent rating in the popcorn meter and 86 percent from critics. Many people have blasted IGN, giving Sonic 3 a 5 out of 10 because Disney allegedly paid them to provide the score. Additionally, Mufasa the Lion King had an average score of 55 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and people once again criticized Ign after giving Mufasa an 8 out of 10. Many people didn’t like the songs from Mufasa, saying they were cringeworthy in most parts, while people praised Sonic 3’s soundtrack. Sonic 3’s soundtrack includes one of Crush 40’s songs, Live and Learn.
Sonic 3 won significant domestically, taking home 60 million compared to Mufasa’s 35 million on the first weekend. Mufasa dominated globally, taking 122 million globally in the first weekend. Mufasa overall underperformed because many estimates suggest that Mufasa will take 180 million globally at the first box office, compared to the 122 million Mufasa took on the first day. Additionally, The 2019 Lion King remake had a box office opening of 165 million in the US compared to the 35 million Mufasa earned. Additionally, with Sonic 3 released, the franchise of Sonic movies made by Paramount Pictures had crossed 1 billion dollars with three movies combined.
A fourth Sonic movie is already being developed and is scheduled for early 2027, which many people are indeed being hyped about. Disney has ended the year with a redemption year with three big movies. Inside Out 2 is the highest-grossing movie of 2024, Deadpool and Wolverine is the highest-rated R movie, and Moana 2 is the highest-grossing Thanksgiving box office weekend. 2025 will be a grim year for Disney, though, with a new Captain America movie being one of the most expensive movies of all time and very little anticipated. Then there is the Snow White Movie, the most hated movie of 2025, with millions of people disliking the trailer and hating Rachel Zegler for her past controversial comments.
