U.S. debut adds multi-millions to box office
This weekend saw Paramount release Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in U.S. theaters, with the dazzling sequel seeing immediate success. In fact, the second cinematic outing for The Blue Blur and his pals has already bagged the biggest opening for any video game movie ever, drawing in a mighty $71 million USD over the three-day box office.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 saw an opening box office 22% higher than the original 2020 release, though it should be duly noted that the first film opened during the first weeks of the global COVID-19 pandemic, when many theaters were already closing their doors. Regardless, it’s still a staggering feat for Paramount’s sequel, which has already seen success in certain overseas territories such as Europe.
“Sonic 2‘s record opening is a victory for Paramount and for the industry at large. The filmmakers did an amazing job of crafting a film that is both in service of Sonic’s legions of fans as well as the general and family audience,” said Paramount exec Chris Aronson in comments to Deadline. “Growing a franchise is no small feat and having an opening +22% over the first film is a remarkable achievement. Kudos to the filmmakers and to the marketing and distributions teams at Paramount for doing a fantastic job in bringing the film into the global marketplace!”
The new film sees Sonic team up with his cute pal Tails on a quest to recover the legendary Chaos Emerald before it can fall into the hands of the nefarious Dr. Robotnik and his mysterious and powerful new sidekick, Knuckles. The success of the two Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic endeavors, (especially after such questionable beginnings), will like only add further fuel to Paramount’s desire to build a “Sonic Cinematic Universe.”
And, given that next weekend brings the incredibly lucrative Easter bank holiday weekend, Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s success looks set to run and run. Pun fully intended.
