The early box office projection numbers for Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 have been revealed.

Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 both open in United States theaters in December 2024. The former is a prequel to 2019’s The Lion King directed by Barry Jenkins, while the latter is Paramount Pictures’ third entry in the Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise.

How much are Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 expected to make opening weekend?

According to Deadline, Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are both looking to make about the same amount of money during their opening weekend. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is currently eyeing a $55 million debut, while Mufasa: The Lion King is currently circling $50 million.

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie, in comparison, made $58 million during its opening weekend and grossed around $320 million in total; although, it’s worth mentioning the film was also released in the United States in February 2020, just one month before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 opened to $72.1 million and grossed around $405.4 million in total.

The 2019 Lion King movie, directed by Jon Favreau, was a giant box office hit, making $191.8 million during its opening weekend. In total, it earned around $1.657 billion worldwide and is now the seventh-highest-grossing movie of all time.

“Note, it doesn’t matter who wins, just another great moment of all boats rising over the Christmas box office after what is expected to be a record Thanksgiving stretch, besting 2018’s $315.6M five-day total. In the end, it’s about that Christmas multiple, which can be as high as 5x-5.5x for family titles opening before the holiday,” Deadline’s article notes.

Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will both be released on December 20, 2024.