'Sonic the Hedgehog' edges out 'The Call of the Wild' for 1st place at the weekend box office
- "Sonic the Hedgehog" narrowly topped "The Call of the Wild" to win the weekend domestic box office.
- "Sonic" brought in an estimated $26.3 million while "Wild" earned $24.8 million.
- "Sonic the Hedgehog" has been number one at the box office for two straight weeks.
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It's very rare that Disney has to duke it out with any other studio for box office supremacy, but that's what happened this weekend with its 20th Century title "The Call of the Wild" against Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog."
The adaptation of Jack London's classic novel starring Harrison Ford and a CGI dog brought in an estimated $24.8 million its opening weekend at the domestic box office. But "Sonic," the classic video game adaptation, topped that with a $26.3 million take in its second weekend in theaters (its domestic total is now over $100 million).
Many believed "Sonic the Hedgehog" would easily win the box office for a second-straight weekend, but the $25 million take by "The Call of the Wild" is better than industry projections (though it does have a hefty $135 million budget) as Ford's name above the poster seems to have motivated families to check out the movie. And it probably didn't hurt that "Wild" had the Disney marketing muscle behind it.
However, Paramount gets the rare two weekends in a row above the box office heap with "Sonic." The movie scored a rare box office win last weekend for the studio, and to win again is much-needed fuel for Hollywood's oldest studio that only shines these days when it's releasing Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible" titles.
Box-office highlights:
- STXfilms/Lakeshore Entertainment's "Brahms: The Boy II" brought in $5.9 million. The horror starring Katie Holmes hit its projections and is a solid win for STXfilms.
- But not all horrors are working in theaters. Sony's "Blumhouse's Fantasy Island" took in a minuscule $4.2 million in its second weekend out. Its domestic cume is now at $20.17 million. Thankfully for all involved, the movie was only made for $7 million.