In a March 4, 2015, file photo, singer Aretha Franklin is interviewed after a taping for "American Idol XIV" at The Fillmore Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
NEW YORK (AP) --
The producers of the Aretha Franklin documentary "Amazing Grace" have withdrawn the film from the Toronto Film Festival amid a legal dispute with the singer.
Last week, a screening of "Amazing Grace" was halted just hours beforehand at the Telluride Film Festival by a federal judge in Denver. Lawyers for Franklin filed a lawsuit to prevent its release, claiming footage used in the film, shot by director Sydney Pollack in 1972, can only be used with Franklin's consent.
The Toronto Film Festival said in a statement Tuesday that it is "extremely disappointed that Toronto audiences will not be able to see this extraordinary piece of art." The festival added it hopes a resolution is soon found so audiences can see "a cinematic treasure of 20th century music."
In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" sped past the Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" to take the top spot at the box office ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters.
"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" debuted with $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates. With strong reviews (86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and a high score from audiences (an "A" on CinemaScore), "Sonic 3" is well positioned to be the top choice in cinemas during the busiest moviegoing period of the year.
It was telling of some wider trends that "Sonic 3" — made for $122 million — bested one of Disney's top properties. Videogame adaptations, once among the most derided movie genres, have emerged as one of the most dependable box office forces in recent years. The two previous "Sonic" movies together grossed more $700 million worldwide and the third installment appears likely to do better than both of them. A fourth "Sonic" movie is already in development.
"Mufasa," however, was humbled in its opening weekend, with its $35 million in domestic ticket sales coming in notably shy of expectations . The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel even opened wider than "Sonic 3," launching on 4,100 theaters and gobbling up most IMAX screens, compared with 3,761 locations for "Sonic 3."
Though "Mufasa's" reviews were poor (56% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave it an "A-" CinemaScore.
"Sonic 3" nearly doubled the haul for "Mufasa," which cost more than $200 million to make. Disney could look to $87.2 million in international sales to help make up the difference. The third "Sonic" will rollout in most overseas markets in the coming weeks.
