Sonic The Hedgehog has beat all expectations and has received the highest opening for a movie based on a video game.
Over President’s Day weekend, Sonic The Hedgehog ranked in $57 million in North America and $100 million globally. These are the highest openings for a video-game based film, let alone for a year that began with a slow start. According to Variety, Sonic is expected to rank in $68 to $70 million over the holiday weeekend, making it a fan-favorite among youth and adults alike.
The fact of the matter is, no one expected Sonic The Hedgehog to be leading the box office and be received well by audiences. Audiences have notoriously shunned films based on video games and the plot of the Sonic film looked as if it was ripped straight from a mid-2000s film. Still, Sonic The Hedgehog managed to prevail even if the road was bumpy.
The Sonic film was infamously delayed after backlash was received over Sonic’s original design, which opted to be as realistic as possible, as opposed to the cute/lovable version he is now. When the film’s trailer dropped last summer, Sonic was the laughing-stock of the internet. In an unprecedented move, Paramount Pictures and director Jeff Fowler realized the best course of action to follow was to rework the design of Sonic, causing the film to be delayed. Their gamble worked, making Sonic The Hedgehog one of the most successful films to be based on a video-game.
Paramount was so thrilled this weekend regarding Sonic’s success that Chris Aronson, Paramount’s president of domestic distribution, issued a statement to honor their triumph.
“The consumer always determines what is right and what is wrong. They made their voices clear, and we listened. This movie exceeded [audience’s] expectations. That’s a testament to that reset and terrific performances by Jim Carrey and the entire cast.”
With Sonic crushing the box-office this weekend, all eyes are set on a sequel. Though no details have been officially announced, it’s almost certain that Paramount and director Jeff Fowler will capitalize on all the success and love Sonic has received on Valentine’s Day weekend.
Did you see Sonic The Hedgehog this weekend? Comment below and let us know!
Here is the official synopsis for Sonic the Hedgehog:
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG is a live-action adventure comedy based on the global blockbuster video game franchise from Sega that centres on the infamously brash bright blue hedgehog. The film follows the (mis)adventures of Sonic as he navigates the complexities of life on Earth with his newfound – human – best friend Tom Wachowski (James Marsden). Sonic and Tom join forces to try and stop the villainous Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) from capturing Sonic and using his immense powers for world domination.
Directed by Jeff Fowler from a script written by Patrick Casey, Josh Miller, and Oren Uziel, Sonic the Hedgehog features the voice talent of Ben Schwartz as the titular character and stars James Marsden as sheriff Tom Wachowski, Jim Carrey as Dr. Ivo Robotnik, Neal McDonough as US Army Major Bennington, Tika Sumpter as Mrs. Wachowski, Lee Majdoub as Stone, and Frank C. Turner as Crazy Carl.
Source: Variety
