“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” grossed $71 million at its domestic box office debut, a hopeful indication that family audiences are feeling better about returning to the stage.
Taking the top spot, kids’ friendly Paramount featured Sony Marvel’s Morbius and Universal Bay’s action-adventure movie, which debuted a disappointing $8 million.
Ticket sales for “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” set a new high watermark for video game adaptations, replacing the opening weekend record of its predecessor, “Sonic the Hedgehog” of 2020. The first film raised $58 million in the first three days of It launched and ended the President’s Day weekend with $70 million.
“This is a fantastic opening,” says David A. Gross, who runs film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research. “With strong reviews and very good results from the audience, Sonic’s song will achieve a solid performance.”
Jeff Fowler is back to direct “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” after it drove the original movie to $319 million worldwide and set a record for the highest grossing video game franchise in North America. Ben Schwartz reprises the fast-paced blue creature with a brilliant take on villains and Jim Carrey reprises his role as mad scientist Dr. Robotnik, a combination that has proven to be a hit among movie-goers. “Sonic 2” earned a “A” CinemaScore from audiences.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” cost $90 million, far more than the $40 million that Bay and Universal put together for “Ambulance.” That’s a relatively cheap price for an “ambulance”, which is heavy on explosives and special effects. However, the $40 million figure does not include the millions spent on marketing and other efforts needed to spread the word about the film’s release.
The dull start of the “ambulance” is another sign of changing consumer tastes. The kind of adrenaline-fueled, physics-defying mojo that turned past Bay films like “Armageddon” and “Pearl Harbor” into zeitgeist hits doesn’t always work these days. In today’s cinema environment, it seems that fewer genres resonate with ticket buyers.
“There were a lot of these movies in the theater,” Gross says of crime thrillers. “But today’s audience wants something special every time – the standard is now set higher.” At a cost of $40 million plus marketing, he adds, the film is unlikely to recoup the costs, even with better numbers overseas and good secondary value on Peacock.
More is coming…
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