Having been pushed back from its originally planned November 2019 date to allow the VFX team time to completely overhaul the look of its iconic lead character, Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog raced into cinemas this past Friday and has got off to a very healthy start with $100 million from 41 markets.
In North America, Sonic exceeded tracking estimates of $45 million to collect $58 million across the Friday to Sunday period, supplanting Warner Bros.’ Pokemon: Detective Pikachu ($54.3 million) for the biggest opening weekend for a video game adaptation.
It’ll have to settle for the domestic record however, as its $100 million global opening puts in its third place worldwide, with both Detective Pikachu ($157.3 million) and Warcraft ($119.1 million) opening bigger.
SEE ALSO: Read our ★ ★ ★ review of Sonic the Hedgehog here
Nevertheless, $100 million is a big win for Paramount, especially considering the venomous reaction from fans towards the first trailer, and with schools on holiday for a week, the blue speedster is expected to perform well through to its second weekend where it will face competition from 20th Century Studios’ The Call of the Wild.
Based on the global blockbuster videogame franchise from Sega, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG tells the story of the world’s speediest hedgehog as he embraces his new home on Earth. In this live-action adventure comedy, Sonic and his new best friend Tom (James Marsden) team up to defend the planet from the evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his plans for world domination.
Sonic the Hedgehog is directed by Jeff Fowler (Gopher Broke) and features a cast that includes Ben Schwartz (House of Lies), James Marsden (Westworld), Jim Carrey (Kidding), Adam Pally (Happy Endings), Tika Sumpter (Ride Along), Neal McDonough (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and Natasha Rothwell (Love, Simon).
