After debuting alongsideMufasa: The Lion Kingahead of the lucrative Christmas week, Paramount’sSonic the Hedgehog 3has now emerged asthe franchise’s top-grossing installment at the domestic box office. The movie has been playing in theaters for less than 20 days, and hasn’t been launched on digital streaming platforms. Theatrical windows have narrowed tremendously in the post-pandemic era, and only recently, Universal was accused of jumping the gun by debutingWickedat home even though it’s still doing well in theaters (a gample that has admittedly paid off withWicked’s VOD release making $70 million in its first week). ButSonic the Hedgehog 3has been making the most of its run; the movie hasn’t fallen below the top three even once.
On its third Tuesday,Sonic the Hedgehog 3grossed nearly $2 million, finishing second on the charts, and pushing itsrunning domestic total to $191 million. This puts it $1 million ahead ofSonic the Hedgehog 2, which debuted in 2022, which also makes itthe second-biggest video game adaptation of all time, behindThe Super Mario Bros. Movie. The firstSonic the Hedgehogmovie was released in 2020, just a few weeks before the pandemic brought the world to a stop; the movie concluded its domestic run with just over $145 million. All three movies have been directed byJeff Fowler, and more impressively, all three of them have earned “fresh” scores on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
In addition to now being the top-grossing installment of the series,Sonic the Hedgehog 3is also the best-reviewed. It holds an excellent 86% approval rating onRotten Tomatoes, and an even better 96% audience score. This would explain the excellent legs that the film has been displaying at the box office. By comparison, the firstSonic the Hedgehogfilm holds a 64% score on RT, while the sequel is currently sitting at a 69% rating. The unlikely franchise didn’t get off to an auspicious start, with the core creative team being sent back to the drawing board after the titular character’s appearance was criticized following the release of the first trailer. Butwhatever changes Fowler madewere embraced by fans of the video game series upon which these films are based; they felt heard, and reciprocated by supporting the movie.
A Fourth ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Movie Is Being Planned
The success of the Sonic films is made all the more special by the relatively low budgets that Paramount has been producing them for. While the first and second films both cost under $100 million, the third installmentcost a reported $120 million to produce.Sonic the Hedgehog 3has so far grossed around $330 million worldwide, and needs approximately $65 million more to become the top-grossing installment of the series at the global box office as well.
FeaturingBen Schwartz,James Marsden, andJim Carrey,Sonic the Hedgehog 3is playing in theaters now. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the sequel to the 2022 comedy-adventure movie that featured the Blue Blur and his companions on an adventure to stop Dr. Robotnik from taking over the world. The new film sees the new antagonist Shadow the Hedgehog, arriving to cause trouble for the newly formed trio of heroes, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, as they adjust to their earthly lives.
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