‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ explodes out of the box office blocks

The little blue hedgehog is back in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and the people seem happy to see him, as his newest film has bolted out of the box office blocks at a speed that Sonic would be proud of. The latest game-to-film adaption grossed $6.25 million during previews on Wednesday and Thursday showtimes starting at 3pm, and is estimated to go on to make $50 million over the weekend.

Sonic the Hedgehog introduced us to the titular character as he tries to hide out on earth and continues to discover the extent of his own powers, and now the sequel is introducing more characters from the Sega game in the form of Tails and Knuckles, played by Colleen O’Shaughnessey and Idris Elba, respectively.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 begins several months after the events of the first film, with Sonic living with Tom and Maddies, trying to use his powers to help, vigilante-style — that is, until Robotnik returns. Robotnik has discovered the existence of the Master Emerald and demands to know the location of the mythical and powerful gem, attacking Sonic with the help of the warrior echidna, Knuckles, who seeks the emerald to restore balance to the universe. Sonic and Tails must team up to find the emerald before the crazy doctor can get his hands on it.

Fans were hyped up over the trailer that introduced Elba’s Knuckles, with the red echidna stopping Sonic mid-spin dash with one hand in a scene that was very reminiscent of Hela stopping and crushing Mjolnir one-handed in Thor: Ragnarok. Fans were also keen for the return of Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik, as the physically malleable actor goes full Carrey for the role, reminding us of why we loved him so much in the first place. Carrey had dropped off the Hollywood scene over the last decade, but looks like he is having a blast as the deranged genius doctor, which is great fun for audiences to see once again.

It would seem that the more positive press the second movie has garnered prior to release — especially compared to the disaster that was the first Sonic animation attempt — is working in the studio’s favor. This year, the Thursday preview viewing raked in $5 million, which is 66 percent higher than the first movie’s $3 million take for the same Thursday preview back in 2020.

Limping in behind Sonic is Michael Bay’s Ambulance, which only made $700 thousand on the same night with showings from 7pm.

You can see your spiky blue friend in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, released in theatres today.