Paramount's 'Sonic the Hedgehog' tops weekend box office again
Video-game adaptation "Sonic the Hedgehog" outdrew two new releases and stayed No. 1 at the box office for a second weekend, a welcome win for Paramount Pictures.
The film brought in $26.3 million, Comscore Inc. estimated Sunday. Analysts had expected about $30 million.
"Sonic" is a rarity among movies based on video games: a box-office winner with legs. It's also the biggest hit for Paramount since the last "Mission: Impossible" movie in 2018.
A new release - "The Call of the Wild," based on the Jack London classic about a sled dog - captured second place. The 20th Century Studios film benefited from Harrison Ford's star power and generally good reviews with a 65% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but there has been a glut of dog movies in recent years. That's led to diminishing returns for the genre, according to Box Office Pro.
"The Call of the Wild" took in $24.8 million. Analysts had expected about $17.5 million.
The new horror film about a life-like doll, "Brahms: The Boy 2" from STX, landed in fourth place with $5.9 million. Analysts had expected $6 million. It was mostly panned by critics.
The returning "Birds of Prey" from Warner Bros. came in at third place, while Sony's "Bad Boys for Life" held onto fifth place.