Sonic the Hedgehog 2 broke the box office record for the largest opening weekend for a video game adaptation, grossing over $71 million.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 had the biggest weekend of all time at the box office for a movie based on a video game. In the past, video game modifications were a difficult task for the film industry. Since many people have experienced stories through playing games, the expectations set for the movie are always very high. Whether it's 1993's Super Mario Bros., 2001's Tomb Raider, or even 2016's Warcraft, a video game movie can receive poor reviews for its lack of substance or their attempts to translate something that doesn't work on screen. However, in recent years Hollywood has had some major successes with video game adaptations with films like Detective Pikachu, Uncharted, and Sonic the Hedgehog heralding a new era of video game adaptations.
2020 Sonic the Hedgehog is at the forefront of successful video game mods. When first announced, Sonic was met with extreme skepticism due to the interesting design choices made by the creators of the titular hedgehog. After hearing these concerns, Paramount Pictures decided to postpone the film to fix the way Sonic looked. As a result, many of those who originally said they wouldn't see the film changed their minds, which propelled Sonic to win the highest opening weekend box office of any video game movie in history. Word of the fun family story mixed with some amazing acting from Ben Schwartz as Sonic and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik went viral, resulting in the film becoming the highest-paid North American video game movie of all time.
According to Variety, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 broke its predecessor's record for best box office debut in a video game. The film took first place on Morbius and Ambulance, grossing over $71 million in its opening weekend. For comparison, the first Sonic movie opened with $58 million. For a box office slowly returning to pre-pandemic numbers, Sonic 2's weekend box office is fantastic and could lead to a stunning run in theaters if reviews and audience ratings for Sonic 2 remain positive.
It's also possible that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will surpass another first movie's record as the highest-grossing North American video game movie of all time. With spring break fast approaching for many schools across the country, families everywhere will likely be watching the movie in the coming weeks. Plus, with Jim Carrey saying he'll likely be retiring soon, some moviegoers might be interested in seeing the star's potential final role on the big screen. The movie seems to have come out just in time to make all sorts of box office and movie history.
Paramount has already confirmed that there will be a third installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, which is a smart move after the success of both first films. In addition, Paramount has also announced that there will be a Knuckles spin-off released with the signature of Idris Elba to continue voicing the character. With so many unique characters and stories to explore, it's no surprise that Paramount has doubled down on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise by green-lighting more sequels and shows likely to reflect the franchise's success thus far. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is in theaters now and is fast on its way to becoming one of the most successful video game movie franchises of all time.