April has been a very healthy month at the box office and the biggest example of its success has been Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The video game sequel is in its third weekend of release and the film has made an additional $19 million in 57 markets across the globe. This includes three new markets.
The international box office total now sits at $142 million and the global box office is getting ready to cross the $300 million mark. Sonic 2 opened this weekend in Poland, Malaysia, and India. They grossed $1.2 million at 236 locations, $475,000 at 116 locations, and $190,000 at 197 locations respectively. The film opened in all three markets at number one with the asterisk of India where the film opened up number one for a Hollywood title. We really do not think Paramount is going to lose sleep over that.
The highlights for the holdover markets include Australia grossing $2.1 million, France grossing $2.1 million, United Kingdom grossing $2.0 million, Brazil grossing $2.0 million, and Mexico grossing $1.8 million. This is impressive given that the film is in its third and forth weekend in most of these locations. In some top markets, like the UK, Sonic 2 has even accumulated a box office total of $26.3 million thus far. Also, the holdover markets only experienced a 29% drop between weekends which is just mind-boggling to think about. Paramount looks to continue this success as the film is opening in the Middle East next week and Japan on August 19.
So what can be taken away from this speedy box office champ? Sonic and Paramount are running laps around most of the major studios at this point. They have been part of the ongoing effort since the pandemic to show that the theatrical model is still king. Films like Sonic 2 are continuing to prove that. This is their fourth major box office success following behind Scream, Jackass Forever, and The Lost City. All those films have tapped into a different demographic with major results and Sonic is running out here on a mission to prove that family films belong on the big screen. Not on a streaming service that crashes faster than an out-of-shape athlete running a marathon.
April has been such a positive breath of fresh air for the movie-going experience with at least one film for every cinema fan to enjoy. Sonic 2 is one of those films. It is an adventure that’s great first outing, marketing campaign, and respect for the source material, set this sequel up for huge success. The best part is Sonic 2 did not waste that goodwill and is arguably better than the first film. The box office more than reflects that. You can help this lovable blue blur on his mission and race over to support your local venue because Sonic 2 is in theaters now.