Sonic the Hedgehog 2 U.S. box office sees highest gross for video game adaptation

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Sega has proudly announced that Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is officially the highest-grossing movie adaptation of a video game franchise at the U.S. box office.

The colorful, action-packed sequel has smashed a $331 million USD in U.S. ticket sales, surpassing that of its predecessor, Sonic the Hedgehog, which raked in an equally impressive $319 million during its spring 2020 release run. For the sake of clarity, it should be noted that the original movie was released during the early days of the global COVID-19 lockdown legislation, which obviously hampered the film’s initial performance at the box office.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which opened April 8 in North American movie theaters and March 31 in international territories, had a fantastic launch, grossing $72.1 million in its U.S. opening weekend while debuting at No.1 in the box office charts in 47 global markets. The sequel is still yet to open in Japan, which will only serve to add higher numbers to the film’s bottom line. Directed by Jeff Fowler, the movie follows The Blue Blur, his buddy Tails, and their human pals as they attempt to wrest control of the mysterious Chaos Emerald away from no-goodnik Dr. Robotnik and a mysterious echidna known as “Knuckles.”

Of course, the forever fascinating footnote to this entire affair is the controversy that plagued the initial trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog. The disastrous reception to Sonic’s initial appearance led to the entire character design (and all related merchandise) being scrapped and restarted. It was a studio decision that, without a doubt, saved the film series from being remembered as one of gaming’s greatest calamities, and a reminder that, sometimes, it’s best to simply not mess with the classics.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 opens in Japanese theaters on August 19.