Sonic the Hedgehog 2the sequel to the last major blockbuster before the pandemic, opens this weekend and is holding a steady stream of dollars in theatrical market with an estimated opening of over $50 million and possibly $60 million.
The first film in February 2020 broke the curse of the video game feature adaptation for the genre, opening $58 million over 3 days, $70 million over 4 days and wowing die-hard fans of the Sega character. In landing a new franchise, Paramount didn’t want to screw up the second time around and kept director Jeff Fowler and screenwriters Pat Casey and John Miller on board with the addition of John Whittington.
The raised stakes for the sequel come with the expansion of the Sonic universe with the characters Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba, and Tails, voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey, one of the video game’s legendary voice actresses. That latter bit of casting goes a long way with Sonic followers.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is booked in 4,232 theaters including PLFs. There’s a fan event at almost 700 locations tonight and previews start tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. The first film grossed $3 million in previews, which began at 5:00 p.m. for an opening day of $20.9 million. There’s a lot of love for ownership here, hence a lot of confidence for the sequel, which heads into a rolling spring break Friday with 15% of K-12 schools as well as 4% of colleges per comScore.
Sonic 2 has already minted a solid $30 million overseas from 31 markets, with another 22 debuting this weekend including Latin America, Italy and Korea. Rotten Tomatoes ratings are currently 66% freshness, slightly higher than the 63% in the first image. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 premiered last night at the same venue as the first film – Westwood’s Village Regency Theater – and it was a déjà vu experience comparable to that of two years ago with several video game vloggers in attendance and explosive cheers, especially this one End, par was loans.
“Ambulance” Universal
While Sonic the Hedgehog is aimed at boys and girls aged 16 to 25, Universal is targeting older men with the action film Michael’s Bay ambulance. However, the film won’t save a life at the box office and will see an $8 million to $12 million opening (some forecasters believe the film starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza González can’t break double digits). It’s a shame because we could use an extra layer of depth at the box office. The reviews aren’t as horrid as The 355, Universal’s latest action dud, 69% to 24% lazy. The 355 died with $14.5 million at the domestic box office after the studio spent $20 million on spy ensemble Jessica Chastain-Penélope Cruz-Diane Kruger-Lupita Nyong’o.
Co-produced by New Republic Pictures, Bay Films, Endeavor Content and Project X Entertainment, Ambulance is based on the 2005 Danish film of the same name directed by Laurits Munch-Petersen and Lars Andreas Pedersen. Pic follows decorated veteran Will Sharp (Abdul-Mateen ), who is desperate for money to pay his wife’s medical bills. He enlists the help of the only person he knows he shouldn’t – his adoptive brother Danny (Gyllenhaal). Danny, a charismatic career criminal, offers him a score instead: the biggest bank robbery in Los Angeles history. But when their escape goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate brothers hijack an ambulance with a wounded police officer clinging to life and on board paramedic Cam Thompson (González). We’ll see what happens here. The shows start at 7 p.m. on Thursday, and the university has all the Imax auditoriums for it.
‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ Targets Over $50M in Early Offshore Reveal – International Box Office Preview
A24 goes a long way Everything everywhere at once, from 38 locations to around 1,200. The outlook is $4 million for The Daniels film, which is certified 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and grossing $1.36 million by Tuesday, its 12th day of release.
Sony/Marvel’s for five days disease counts 43.8 million dollars. After underperforming at No. 1 with a starting $39 million, Jared Leto’s vampire film will drop 65% to around $13 million in its second weekend. Even if Morbius comes under where tracking saw it, make no mistake, the exhibition won’t beat away such an opening.
Highest-grossing films in North America over the past 3 decades