Box office: ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ is tops for Valentine’s Day/Presidents’ Day weekend

In a weekend bookended by two holidays — Valentine’s Day on Friday and Monday’s Presidents Day — the box office enjoyed an increasingly rare slate of three (out of four) new releases landing among the top five.

Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog� premiered in first place with $58 million and an estimated $70 million through the holiday, above analyst forecasts of $40 million to $45 million for the three-day weekend and $50 million to $60 million through the Presidents Day holiday, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore.

Based on the Sega video-game character, the live-action and CGI hybrid follows Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) and a small-town sheriff, Tom (James Marsden), as they defend a planet under attack by the villain Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey).

It surpassed Warner Bros.’ “Detective Pikachu,� which earned $54.3 million in its three-day 2019 debut, as the highest domestic opening ever for a video-game adaptation.

“Sonic� also topped the worldwide box office, opening in 40 international markets and grossing $43 million for a global cumulative of $101 million.

The $87-million film, directed by Jeff Fowler, was forced to undergo a major redesign last year after fans reacted negatively to Sonic’s CGI look in a trailer. The effort seems to have paid off — the movie was well-received with an A CinemaScore and a 63% “fresh� rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

In second place, Warner Bros.’ “Birds of Prey� added $17.3 million in its second weekend (a 48% drop) and is estimated to have earned $19.9 million through Monday, for a cumulative $62 million.

At No. 3, Sony’s Blumhouse-produced “Fantasy Island� opened with $12.4 million over the weekend and is estimated to earn $14 million through Monday, within range of analyst predictions for the weekend of $12 million to $14 million.

A reimagining of the ’70s TV series, “Fantasy Island� was directed by Jeff Wadlow and stars Michael Peña as the enigmatic Mr. Roarke, who is tasked with bringing his guests’ fantasies to life at a remote tropical resort.

The $7-million film also features Lucy Hale, Michael Rooker, Maggie Q, Austin Stowell, Portia Doubleday, Jimmy O. Yang and Ryan Hansen. It was poorly received, with a C- CinemaScore and a mere 9% “rotten� score on Rotten Tomatoes.

In fourth place, Universal’s “The Photograph� opened with $12.2 million over the weekend and is estimated to earn $13.3 million through Monday, within range of analyst predictions of $12 million to $14 million.

The romantic drama stars Issa Rae as a woman who falls for a journalist (Lakeith Stanfield) and comes to terms with her estranged photographer mother’s complex past.

Directed by Stella Meghie, the $16-million movie was positively received with a B+ CinemaScore and a 76% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

Rounding out the top five, Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life� added $11.5 million in its fifth weekend and was expected to bring in $13 million for Valentine’s Day plus the holiday weekend, for a cumulative total of $183 million.

At No. 6, Universal’s “1917� and its three Academy Awards added $9.4 million in its eighth weekend, for a cumulative $145.7 million.

In seventh place, Neon’s “Parasite,� buoyed by its best picture, director and original screenplay wins at last week’s Oscars ceremony, added 941 locations and $6.8 million in its 19th weekend, for a cumulative $44.5 million.

At No. 8, Sony’s “Jumanji: The Next Level� added $6.7 million in its 10th weekend, for a cumulative $306.7 million.

In ninth place, Universal’s “Dolittle� added $5.9 million in its fifth weekend, for a cumulative $71.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10, Searchlight’s “Downhill� opened with $4.6 million through the weekend and is estimated to earn $5.1 million through Monday, below analyst projections of $7 million.

A remake of Ruben Östlund’s “Force Majeure,� the black comedy stars Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a married couple on the outs.

It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to mixed reviews and was poorly received by moviegoers and critics with a D CinemaScore and a 41% “rotten� rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In limited release, Neon opened “Portrait of a Lady on Fire� on 22 screens to $429,000 and an expected $495,645 through Monday, for a per-screen average of $22,529. It was originally released in two theaters in December for an awards-qualifying run, opening to $33,672 per screen, one of the strongest showings for a French-language film in the last 20 years.

This week, 20th Century Studios opens “The Call of the Wild,� STX Entertainment reveals the horror film “Brahms: The Boy II,� and Focus Features debuts the period dramedy “Emma.� In limited release, IFC Films premieres the indie love story “Premature.�