Sonic 3's Big Preview Night, Mufasa's Decent Start

Last night, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 zoomed ahead with a impressive $6. 5 million in previews. Disney's Mufasa also did well, pulling in $3. 3 million. These numbers are the highest ever for a Sonic movie, beating the previous installment's $5 million Thursday night previews and overall $6. 25 million. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 opened with a bang at $72. 1 million, the series' best so far. The first Sonic movie had previews of $3 million back in 2020, opening to $58 million right before the pandemic. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is expected to hit a $60 million opening weekend, while Mufasa was initially forecasted to reach over $50 million. However, Mufasa's previews are similar to Wonka's $3. 5 million, which only did $39 million, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's $3. 5 million, which opened at $35. 4 million. Directed by Barry Jenkins, Mufasa is screened in 4, 100 theaters. Critics are more positive about Sonic the Hedgehog 3, giving it an 88% fresh rating, compared to Mufasa's 57% Rotten score. Sonic 3 has already received a healthy 98% audience score. Even if Mufasa underperforms this weekend, Disney is hopeful that business will pick up from Christmas Day onwards, as moviegoing traditionally surges during this period. However, this weekend is known for big Christmas tentpoles like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avatar: The Way of Water. Today, Comscore reports that 13% of K-12 schools are on break, with 81% of colleges off. By Monday, 95% of K-12 schools will be on break, and 94% of colleges will be off. From Christmas Eve to New Year's Day, nearly 100% of schools will be on break.

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