Sequel 'Brahms: The Boy II' also opens nationwide.
It's a straight race between a hedgehog and a dog this weekend at the box office, and if projections are correct, the hedgehog will win.
Paramount's surprise hit Sonic the Hedgehog should easily stay No. 1 in its second weekend, leaving new family offering The Call of the Wild out in the cold.
Sonic — which scored the top opening ever for a video game adaptation over Presidents Day weekend — should top the chart with a sophomore outing of at least $28 million to $30 million as it shoots past the $100 mark million mark domestically.
Call of the Wild, from the rebranded 20th Century Studios, is tracking to open in the mid-teen millions or higher after seeing its release delayed from this past Christmas.
Harrison Ford and a CGI-generated dog star in the latest adaptation of Jack London's classic 1903 adventure novel about a warm-hearted prospector and a canine named Buck who bond during the Yukon Gold Rush.
The movie, inherited by Disney following its acquisition of much of 21st Century Fox, boasts a hefty production budget of $125 million to $150 million before marketing.
So far, Call of the Wild has received good-to-mixed reviews, but faces fierce competition from Sonic for family attention (both pics are rated PG). It also has drawn criticism for its CGI hero; previous big-screen adaptations of London's novel featured real dogs.
Call of the Wild marks the live-action debut of director Chris Sanders, whose previous credits include Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon and The Croods. The cast also includes Dan Stevens and Karen Gillan.
The weekend's other new nationwide offering is Brahms: The Boy II, a follow-up to STX's hit 2016 film, The Boy.
The Boy II is tracking to open in the $6 million-$8 million range. The stand-alone sequel stars Katie Holmes, Ralph Ineson, Owain Yeoman and Christopher Convery.
New offerings at the specialty box office include Focus Features' Emma, the latest adaptation of the Jane Austen novel starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular character, and Amazon Studios' Seberg, starring Kristin Stewart.
