• Paramount announced "Sonic the Hedgehog 4," just as the third movie is about to release.
• "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is projected to have a bigger domestic opening than "Mufasa: The Lion King."
• 2019's "The Lion King" remake made $1.6 billion worldwide, but the prequel has far lower expectations.

Paramount announced that a new Sonic movie is already in development ahead of the opening weekend for "Sonic the Hedgehog 3."

The announcement came as revenue projections for "Sonic 3" came in surprisingly strong — and ahead of Disney's anticipated "Mufasa: The Lion King."

The franchise is based on the beloved Sega video games about the blue speedster, who has been starring in games for more than 30 years. Paramount brought Sonic into live-action in 2020's "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie and a 2022 sequel.

"Parks and Recreation" star Ben Schwartz voices Sonic in the movie franchise, and Jim Carrey plays his nemesis, Dr. Robotnik.

Combined, the two films have made $707 million, according to TheNumbers.com. And Paramount seems to have faith in the third film as Variety reported that the studio has already greenlit "Sonic the Hedgehog 4" for Spring 2027 ahead of the threequel's release on December 21.

"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is competing with the Disney prequel "Mufasa: The Lion King" over the holidays.

The Hollywood Reporter estimated that "Sonic" would come out on top, with $60 million from its first weekend versus $50 million from "Mufasa."

The outlet sources its estimates from theater chains and major analytics companies like Nielsen and Comscore, and is widely respected in the movie industry.

The difference is a shock, given the historic power of the "Lion King" story. The 2019 remake of "The Lion King" raked in $1.6 billion worldwide, making it one of Disney's greatest financial successes.

"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" earned a healthy 87% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its release, while "Mufasa" got a "rotten" 54% rating.