Sonic The Hedgehog 3 ahead in box office projections, outpaced Mufasa: The Lion King by $50-55 million. Disney's 2019 live-action Lion King was a blockbuster, while Sonic franchise saw steady growth in box office earnings. Both movies have star-studded casts, with Sonic 3 introducing Shadow; Paramount's marketing hit the mark for audience appeal.

The edge that Sonic 3 has is in its fan-fave casting of Keanu Reeves as Shadow, not to mention double Jim Carreys in the roles of Robotnik and his grandfather. Ben Schwartz and Idris Elba are also returning as Sonic and Tails in the popular feature take of the Sega videogame.

The Lion King has its work cut out for it. As it stands now, Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is tracking to open to $55 million over the Dec. 20-22 weekend, compared to $50 million for Mufasa: The Lion King,