Sonic the Hedgehog 2 scored $71 million at the domestic box office over its first weekend, securing its spot as the best opening weekend in the history of video game film adaptations.
Sonic, this time helped by buddy tails and his nemesis Knuckles, beat his own record from 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, according to Variety. The original film brought in $58 million over President’s Day weekend in the weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.
Adding in overseas totals, Sonic 2 amassed $141 million in its opening weekend, which already puts it in 20th place of all-time revenue for video game movies, according to The Numbers. With another month or so of revenue, Sonic 2 could climb the charts and even surpass the original, which finished with nearly $305 million.
Another 2022 video game film, Uncharted, brought in over $142 million domestically with its January release, leading many to believe the box office slump brought about by the pandemic could be coming to an end.
Sonic 2 piggybacks on the success on the first film with a familiar tone, featuring the hedgehog on another fun adventure that’s more faithful to the source material, featuring many easter eggs and nods to the long-running game franchise.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 stars Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, Idris Elba as Knuckles, James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, and Colleen O’Shaughnessy as Tails, reprising her role as the flying fox from the games.
