It’s a tight race between the still speeding “Sonic 3” and the resurgent “Mufasa” for No. 1, with the hedgehog currently having the edge with an estimated $37.4 million Fri.-Sun. total that is just a 38% drop from its $60 million opening weekend. “Mufasa” is just behind with an estimated $35 million, matching its opening weekend total.

Mufasa: The Lion King' is tipped to win the five-day Christmas holiday, although 'Sonic the Hedgehog' could top the three-day weekend chart.

At this point, 2024 will have an adequate Christmas compared to recent years. Grosses for December 25 and 26 are about $5 million ahead of 2023. But the $116 million two-day total was dramatically lower than the years before COVID struck.

Revisiting 2024 box office predictions highlights missed expectations for “Mufasa,” “Joker,” “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool” and more

It's going to be a close race to crown a king of the Christmas box office, with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Mufasa: The Lion King almost neck-and-neck as we head into the new

That success for “Mufasa” isn’t coming at the expense of “Sonic 3,” which continues to hum along with $10.3 million on Wednesday. The video game adaptation now has $88 million domestic and should reach $125-130 million by Sunday as it begins its overseas rollout.

“Mufasa: The Lion King,” Disney’s live-action prequel to “The Lion King,” opened with a whimper this past box office weekend. According to Variety, “Mufasa” debuted with “$35 million from 4,100 cinemas” — a far cry from its “pre-release expectations of $50 million.”

SATURDAY AM: chart coming.. The back and forth between the lion and the land critter continues this weekend. Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 won his second Friday over Disney’s Mufasa, $12.6M to $12.