Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has earned $71M in its opening weekend at the US box office, making it the biggest ever opening weekend for a video game adaptation.
According toVariety,the sequel managed to even outdoDeadline’s earlier estimation of the film taking home $60m-$65m.
That’s higher than the $58m 3-day opening record achieved by the original film, and when combined withoverseas revenue(Sonic 2 opened a week early in Europe, Australia and other markets) of $70 million, the sequel’s global total is reportedly now $141 million.
David A. Gross, who runs movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, commented: “This is an outstanding opening. With solid reviews and very good audience scores, ‘Sonic’ is going to have a strong run.”
Commenting on what has made the film franchise such a success following Sonic’s middling gaming reception in recent years, Paramount’s president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson said: “This film did such a great job in service of the fans while not excluding general audiences.”
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 reportedly cost around $90 million to create, not including marketing spend.
The originalSonic the Hedgehog was a surprise hit, with it becoming the top-grossing video game adaptation of all time in the US. Paramount Pictures andSegarevealed in February thata third Sonic film and a live-action TV serieshave entered production.
Toby Ascher, who was a producer on 2020’s Sonic film and the upcoming sequel, previously commented on plans for a “Sonic cinematic universe” in production notes released to coincide with the lifting of theSonic 2 reviewembargo.
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“We’re creating a Sonic cinematic universe, so we knew we were going to add characters, like Tails and Knuckles; new to the films but beloved by gamers all over the world,” he said.
VGC’sSonic the Hedgehog 2 movie reviewcalled it a much better film than the original and said there’s a pleasant surprise to be found in the chemistry between its new characters.
