Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Breaks Game Movie Box Office Record

ByWill Quick

After being revealed at the 2021 Game Awards in December, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has been officially released globally. And lo and behold, it’s a smash hit. Having first appeared in numerous countries on March 30, 2022, and only reaching the US on April 8, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is on track to become one of the hottest video game adaptations of all time. In fact, it’s already broken the opening weekend record for a video-game based movie, earning $71 million in just three days after its US premiere.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 At The Box Office

Just two weeks after premiere, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is quickly becoming the most successful video game movie ever. At the time of writing, Sonic 2 has made over $141 million worldwide against a budget of $110 million. It has beaten out competitor The Secrets Of Dumbledore which currently stands at $58 million. And, of course, it smashed the opening weekend box office record for a video game movie adaptation. The previous record, coincidentally, was held by the previous Sonic the Hedgehog film of 2020. It earned just over $58 million in its opening weekend.

However, while these types of movies can earn quite a lot at the box office, they’ve historically had a low reception. For Sonic 2, the reception has been mixed to positive with many outlets granting a favorably rating. It currently has “Fresh” ratings of 67 and 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and audiences respectively. This is an improvement from its 2020 predecessor, which holds “Fresh” ratings of 63 and 93 percent.

Stars and Where to Watch

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 expands on its universe by adding both Knuckles and Tails. These two iconic characters are voiced by Idris Elba and Colleen O’Shaughnes respectively. One of the biggest responses to the film’s financial success has been from comedic actor Ben Schwartz. The recognizable Parks and Recreation star lends his voice to the titular character Sonic. He’s been very vocal about his surprise on his Twitter account as well as in interviews with outlets like Entertainment Weekly and Screen Rant.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, the film launched exclusively in theaters and is expected to remain for the standard 45-day period. Following that time, it will be released for streaming sometime in May. Since it was distributed by Paramount Pictures, the film will be available to watch on their own streaming platform called Paramount Plus, with service starting at $4.99 which includes ads.

There are currently no known plans to release this film on any other streaming service or movie rental platform. However, for now at least, tickets for cinema viewing are still available for purchase.