"Sonic 3" reaches the top of the North American box office

It's one of the best December openings in years, industry watchers say.
Paramount's new action comedy "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" reached the top of the North American box office this weekend, topping estimates with an estimated $62 million in revenue. It's one of the best December openings in years, industry watchers say. 
The latest sequel to the blue supersonic creature feature based on Sega's popular video game received positive reviews and high marks from audiences, which analyst David A. Gross called an "excellent start" for the hybrid animation/live action genre. 
He predicted the film would "surpass Sonic #2 in revenue," which finished 2022 with $405 million worldwide. Jim Carrey plays the mad scientist Dr. Ivo Robotnik, while Ben Schwartz (Sonic) and Keanu Reeves (The Shadow) round out the cast. 
Disney's new animated musical drama "Mufasa: The Lion King," a prequel to "The Lion King," ranked second with $35 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period, Exhibitor Relations said. 
That's far below estimates of about $50 million, especially for a film that cost about $300 million to produce and promote, Variety reported. But Gross predicted a "very good result" as students in North America are currently enjoying their end-of-year vacations. The film stars Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Seth Rogen, Beyoncé and Donald Glover (known as Childish Gambino), with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. 
Universal's "Maleficent" grossed another $13.5 million, dropping one spot to third position. The musical fantasy is the first part of a two-part adaptation of the popular Broadway play set in the magical world of Oz. 
Considered an Oscar favourite, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the lead roles, the weekend brought the film global receipts of over 570 million dollars. 
"Moana 2" set records when it opened over Thanksgiving weekend, but this weekend the Disney film slipped to fourth place with an estimated $13.1 million in ticket sales. 
Hawaii native Auli'i Cravalho reprises his role as the plucky young sea traveler, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson voices the demigod Maui in the sequel, which grossed more than $790 million worldwide. 
In fifth place is "Homestead," a post-apocalyptic thriller from Utah-based Angel Studios, with $6.1 million. Neil McDonagh and Dawn Olivieri star in the story of a family that flees the chaos of a nuclear attack to find refuge in the fortress-like mansion of an eccentric survivalist. 
Rounding out the Top 10 are: 
"Gladiator II" ($4.5 million) 
"Craven the Hunter" ($3.1 million) 
"Red One" ($1.5 million) 
"Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim ($1.3 million) 
"The Best Christmas Show" ($825,000) | BGNES