Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 soared to the top of the North American box office this weekend, exceeding expectations with an estimated $62 million opening. This marks one of the best December openings in recent years, industry experts reported Sunday.

The action-comedy sequel, based on the popular Sega video game, benefited from positive reviews and strong audience reception. Analyst David A. Gross praised the film’s performance, calling it "an excellent opening" for the hybrid animation/live-action genre, and predicted that it would "far out-earn Sonic 2," which grossed $405 million globally in 2022.

Jim Carrey returns as the villainous Dr. Ivo Robotnik, while Ben Schwartz voices Sonic and Keanu Reeves voices Shadow in the highly anticipated film.