Sonic 2 Smashes An Important Record
It's a good year so far for Paramount and it looks as if Sonic 2 is set to keep the ball rolling.
Sonic the Hedgehog was released in movie theatres in early 2020. The family-friendly film set a box-office record for video game adaptations. This week, the sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has hit theatres and has set a milestone of its own. According to Variety Sonic 2 has set a new record for the biggest box-office opening weekend for a video game movie, meaning the sequel soared past the first movie’s landmark success.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 brought in $71 million domestically in its opening weekend, beating into submission the likes of Morbius and Michael Bay’s Ambulance. The $71 million opening weekend takes the record of best opening for a videogame movie from Sonic 2’s predecessor, Sonic the Hedgehog, which achieved $58 million in its opening weekend. Sonic 2 has also performed admirably overseas, raking in an international return of $70 million, which puts the film’s worldwide gross so far at $141 million. That figure after just three days of release puts Sonic 2 well on the way to surpassing its predecessor’s worldwide box-office return of approximately $320 million.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 sees the return of the titular character (voiced by Parks and Recreation’s Ben Schwartz) and his human friends Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter). Also returning from Sonic 1 to Sonic 2 are director Jeff Fowler and writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller. The film sees Sonic once again clash with Dr Robotnik (played by the legendary Jim Carrey), but this time Robotnik has sinister Sonic antagonist Knuckles by his side (voiced by Hollywood heartthrob Idris Elba). To aid Sonic in his new battle is the friendly speedster Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey).
The success of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will be a welcome sight for Paramount as new Sonic projects are reportedly in the works. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is in the pipeline as well as a spin-off series for streaming service Paramount Plus, which is likely to centre on Idris Elba’s Knuckles character. Given that the major Sonic stars and creators returned for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, it is more than likely they will all return to complete a trilogy. However, there is one star who likely won’t return for more Sonic box-office success. Whilst promoting Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Jim Carey states that this will likely be his last acting role, seemingly announcing his retirement. With one star exiting, another must enter, and Sonic fans will be pleased to know that we heard none other than Jason Momoa has been eyed to feature in Sonic 3 as Shadow the Hedgehog. We can’t say if the star will sign on, but hopefully that works out for the studio and audiences alike.
While the details for Sonic 3 remain to be set in stone, now is truly the time of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The film’s strong box-office start promises that an impressive theatrical run lies ahead for the Paramount family adventure. Sonic’s box-office performance marks somewhat of a trend for Paramount in 2022. Paramount studio now has four 2022 releases that have opened in cinemas at the number one spot at the box office. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 joins The Lost City, Jackass Forever, and Scream. It’s a good year so far for Paramount and it looks as if Sonic is set to keep the ball rolling.
