Move Over, Barbenheimer! This Xmas Box Office is All About ‘Sonic vs. Mufasa’

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Move over, Barbenheimer! This holiday season, it’s all about Sonic vs. Mufasa at the box office. This blockbuster showdown is shaping up to be a real nail-biter.

In the blue corner, we’ve got “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” the latest installment in a franchise that’s been defying expectations since 2020. Remember when everyone thought Sonic was doomed after that initial design disaster? Well, the blue blur proved us all wrong, smashing records and raking in over $320 million worldwide. The sequel did even better, zooming past $405 million.

In the golden corner, we’ve got “Mufasa: The Lion King,” Disney’s prequel to their live-action remake. Now, the original “Lion King” is practically movie royalty, and even though the live-action version didn’t quite roar as loud critically, it still devoured the box office with a whopping $1.66 billion globally.

So, who’s gonna come out on top? It’s a tough call, folks. Variety’s projecting Sonic to edge out Mufasa domestically, looking at $55-60 million compared to Mufasa’s $50 million. But here’s the twist – Mufasa’s got a head start overseas, hitting theaters on December 20, while Sonic fans have to wait until Christmas Day. Critics are already sharpening their claws for Mufasa, with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of just 58%. Sonic 3’s score is rapidly outpacing its feline competitor with a new record with an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest of the series so far.

For comparison, the first Sonic film sits at 64% on the site, while Sonic the Hedgehog 2 holds a slightly higher score of 69%. What a long way we are from that first nightmare fueled look for Sonic that fans were able to force the creators to change.

Here’s my hot take: Both flicks are among the year’s most hyped, so expect some serious cash to flow either way, but I think Sonic is going to leave Mufasa in the dust. So I’m putting my chips on Sonic for the overall win. But in this clash of gaming icon versus Disney legend, the real winners might just be us moviegoers. Get ready for an epic holiday showdown at the multiplex!

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Todd Fisher

Todd lives in Northern California with "the wife," "the kids," "the dogs," "that cat," and he occasionally wears pants. His upcoming release, "Are You Woke Enough Yet?", is the culmination of too much time on social media and working in the film industry.

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