‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’, US Highest-Grossing Video Game Movie

SONIC the Hedgehog 2 has become the highest-grossing video game film ever at the US box office, surpassing the original Sonic the Hedgehog film’s gross.

The sequel saw Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey, James Marsden, and Tika Sumpter return to reprise their roles from the first film. The series is set to expand into television through Paramount’s Paramount+ streaming service.

Building upon the success of 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 set out to keep the momentum going. After introducing general audiences to Schwartz’s blue speedster and Carrey’s over-the-top evil genius Dr. Robotnik, the sequel began to bring more of SEGA’s longrunning platformer franchise to the big screen through Colleen O’Shaughnessey’s highly intelligent fox Tails and Idris Elba’s powerful Knuckles the Echidna, alongside the mysterious Master Emerald and more of Robotnik’s nefarious creations.

Now, the sequel has surpassed its predecessor’s gross, setting a new record for video game movies at the US box office.

According to the report, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has earned an impressive $147 million at the domestic box office going into the fourth weekend of its release. Not only has the sequel surpassed Sonic the Hedgehog‘s $146 million at the domestic box office, but it has also become the highest-grossing video game movie of all time.

The previous holder of the title was 2022’s Uncharted, which surpassed Sonic the Hedgehog by an estimated fifty thousand dollars with $146,118,043. Despite its success at the domestic box office, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 still has yet to break into the top 10 highest-grossing video game movies internationally, where it is still behind 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog at $291 million, while the predecessor grossed $304 million.

Sonic the Hedgehog is growing to become an impressively successful franchise. Despite Carrey stating he intends to retire from acting, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is set to continue in the form of a spin-off TV series following Elba’s recently introduced Knuckles, with both Elba and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 director Jeff Fowler returning to work on the series. The sequel also laid the groundwork for future films through a post-credit scene that featured fan-favorite character Shadow the Hedgehog and the GUN organization.

Despite Carrey’s retirement, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 producers Neal H. Moritz & Toby Ascher have stated that they won’t recast Robotnik in any sequel or spin-off series, intentionally leaving the actor an opportunity to return to the role if he wishes.

While it initially caused an uproar from fans over its widely-panned redesign of SEGA’s iconic character, Sonic the Hedgehog has become a standout franchise. After a strong box-office opening, the sequel has proved that audience interest in the series remains strong, not only securing the franchise’s future but also setting itself apart from other video-game movies.

With other video game-inspired movies like Sony’s Ghost of Tsushima, and Nintendo and Illumination’s Mario movie in development, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 may be a trendsetter in the current age of video game adaptations. (source: screenrant.com)

(ROHN ROMULO)