Sonic 2 has officially surpassed its predecessor at the global box office, logging an estimated $323 Million by the end of Sunday. Of that amount, $160 million is from the US box office, meaning that Sonic 2 has also beaten Sonic 1’s record-setting $149 million and become the highest grossing video game movie ever in the US.
In the context of the overall 2021 box office, Sonic 2 now sits at number 5 globally, after falling behind Fantastic Beasts 3, which now sits at $329 million. This largely comes down to a lack of release for Sonic 2 in China, where FB3 has made $17.5 million, as well an overall stronger performance internationally. In the US box office, Sonic 2 now sits in second place, after surpassing Uncharted, leaving it second only to The Batman, which sits at $369 million.
So what’s next for Sonic 2 at the box office? That’s going to depend on a few factors, including: how well it can weather the release of Dr. Strange 2, how well its Japanese release does this summer, and whether or not it can secure a release in China. Dr. Strange 2 ought to be huge, as the year’s first MCU movie and the first summer blockbuster, so its quite likely it will at least lead to a reduction in the number of screens showing Sonic 2. Sonic has never been all that big in Japan, the first movie only made $1.5 million there (albeit in the immediate aftermath of the global COVID-19 lockdowns), and Sonic 2 is getting a very late release there. Finally, China has been far less open to western movies compared to two years ago.
On the whole, $350 million is looking like a plausible final tally for Sonic 2, a really good number but one that falls well short of the current global video game box office record holder, Warcraft and its $439 million. Though without China, which made up more then half that number, that was always going to be a difficult number for Sonic 2 to beat.
*** SPOILER WARNING:THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS PLOT DETAILS FROM THE END OF SONIC 2 ***
I am a Knuckles fan. His name is my online handle, which I’ve been using consistently since the early days of the SEGA forums. I love his moves, his lore, and even his weird comic series. So, naturally, I was excited when Paramount announced a Knuckles-centric TV series a few months ago, starring the red, dreadlocked knucklehead. It wasn’t long before my worry over Sonic 2 fumbling things tempered that excitement with anxiety, but now that I’ve seen the movie that anxiety has given way to enthusiasm. Knuckles was the best thing in that movie and I am ready for a show about him.
But…what exactly will the Knuckles series be? All we know about it is that it’ll be a live action series on Paramount Plus. I can’t imagine something like that being done without a sizable budget akin to Disney+’s MCU and Star Wars offerings. That is an assumption I will be running with for this article. What do I want from the Knuckles series? A lot, but I’d like to think my hopes are at least somewhat realistic (yes, including this first one.)
It’s Time to Go Off-World
The Sonic movies have been consistently teasing us with a larger universe. We’ve been given brief glimpses of Sonic’s home and the mushroom planet, Tails has talked about a “village,” and Knuckles’ introduction was even preceded by strange masked aliens, initially introduced in the Sonic 2 Pre-Quill comic.
It’s high time the Sonic Movie Universe make good on those teases and actually take us somewhere. A planet hopping space adventure would be the perfect backdrop for a TV show. Likewise, a TV show is a great place to flesh out multiple locations beyond Earth in the Sonic Movie Universe. I wouldn’t expect most of these locations to be especially fantastical or grand for purely budgetary reasons, but I will definitely take “generic desert planet” and “rusty cheap-looking backwater planet” over “Knuckles goes to New Jersey.”
Make it Knuckles, Sonic and Tails’ First Adventure Together
Yes, this is a Knuckles show, but that doesn’t mean Sonic and Tails can’t get in on the action! Sonic 2 served as an origin for the trio coming together as friends, but there is no better medium for their first proper adventure than a TV show. Explore their chemistry. Let them talk and explore their interactions outside of the context of a movie climax. Let Sonic be the fish out of water as he’s taken to places Knuckles is more familiar with.
As fun as Knuckles is, I think he was at his best when he had Sonic and Tails to bounce off of, so it’d be a shame to separate them for his small screen debut. Let Knuckles have the main plot and the spotlight, but allow Sonic and Tails to tag along for the ride.
Bring Back Knuckles’ People…and Make Them the Bad Guys
Look: I don’t care what Knuckles said, Longclaw didn’t wipe out his entire tribe. They are alive, and if they are meant to be dead, undead them, because they would make the perfect villains for this series. It is already firmly established in these movies that the echidnas are the power-hungry aggressors. They were the ones who created the Master Emerald, they were the ones who used it for war, and they were the ones who hunted down the owls and attempted to take Sonic’s power. They can certainly be three dimensional villains. Giving them a reason to be so power hungry would only make them more interesting. But ultimately, Knuckles needs to come down against them.
So how could this work? Have them abandon Knuckles. When they went after Longclaw and failed to capture Sonic, they began searching the universe relentlessly for him and the map to the Master Emerald rather than return to him. This would not only demonstrate how far his people have fallen that they would rather hunt for power than go back for one of their own, it would also allow the SMU to explore a different kind of familial loss, and the differences between family by blood and family by love, and why one is more meaningful.
Heck, Tikal could even be introduced as an unwilling pawn of her people. When the Master Emerald is used at the end of Sonic 2, the echidnas learn that Knuckles has it. Tikal is sent under the lie that she’s looking for their people. Knuckles, upon discovering they are alive, agrees to help her find them. Sonic and Tails won’t let him go alone. This gives us the motivation for the planet-hopping adventure as they go from planet to planet, searching for clues, Tikal subtly pointing them in the right direction. This was, in reality, done to separate the Master Emerald from its protectors.
Some version of this, where the story potential for Knuckles’ people is utilized, and Knuckles is made to see the truth about them, feels like the perfect place to take this. It wraps up standing plot points, gives Knuckles a unique group of villains who are personal to him, strengthens his newfound bonds, and gives our tri-colored trio their first test as the Master Emerald’s guardians.
If You’re Going to Focus on Humans, Focus on the Wachowskis
I am going to say something potentially controversial: Tom and Maddie Wachowski are the only decent human characters in the Sonic movies. Everyone else is an annoying cartoon caricature of a human, Jim Carrey worst of all. But even if I liked Carrey, he shouldn’t be here, as Knuckles ought to have his own villain. So since a live action Sonic tv series will inevitably need to spend time with humans on Earth for budgetary reasons, they might as well flesh out the best ones.
Their plot? Well, jumping off my previous point: have them be the ones protecting the Master Emerald while the furballs are out in space. Maybe a few different parties, one of whom were hired by the echidnas, are after the gemstone and they need to go on their own adventure to keep it away from them. They can be hunted by those weird masked bird people from Sonic 2, some random humanoid aliens in make-up, and maybe eventually a certain…bat jewel thief.
Alternatively, if Knuckles and co need a human companion, Maddie can go with them and get some much-needed screen time, and Tom can get paired with Rachel and they’re made to hash their whole thing out.
Bring in Rouge
So if you ignored this article’s spoiler warnings, chances are you already know that Sonic 3 will have Shadow, effectively setting it up to be an adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2. You know who you can’t leave out of any version of SA2? Rouge. Problem is, with Sonic 3 set up to be a story about Shadow, Rouge will almost certainly take a backseat, much like Tails did in Sonic 2. That’s why Rouge absolutely needs to be in the Knuckles series.
There are multiple reasons to introduce Rouge here: she is the closest thing Knuckles has to his own adversary and rival in the games. They are both treasure hunters, and both have an interest in the Master Emerald. So bringing her in as a villain for Knuckles to eventually deal with only makes sense. With the Master Emerald and GUN now present in the SMU, Rouge also has something to do in regards to her own plotline. She has a jewel to hunt and a faction that can employ her skills for covert ops on Earth.
Bare minimum, the Knuckles series ought to lay the groundwork for Rouge’s role in Sonic 3.
Heck, Bring In Some Other Sonic Characters Too
The great thing about TV shows is that you can give a character or group of characters a complete story in a single episode’s run time. The Knuckles series isn’t just a good place to set up some stuff for Sonic 3, it’s a great place to set up stuff for the franchise as a whole going forward.
You know what would be cool? An episode where Knuckles just had to work with the Chaotix. While Sonic, Tails, and whoever else is with them go off to explore a planet or check out its local cuisine (mostly off-screen), Knuckles hires the bumbling detectives to find the next clue for finding his people or whatever he’s doing. Hijinks, of course, ensue.
A few episodes just establishing characters while Knuckles is on his adventure is a stellar way to bring new Sonic characters into the franchise.
Let the IDW Creative Team Work on an Episode or Two
You know who’s been consistently producing the best Sonic stories for the past four years? IDW. Yes, they’re busy people. Ian Flynn is working on a friggin game. I don’t care. Flynn has experience working in TV, Evan Stanley’s been doing great work at IDW for years, bring one or both of them in for an episode or two. I’m sure you all can work it out.
Nothing would make the fandom more excited for the series than their involvement, and they’re input would be nothing but a net benefit for the show. Please make this happen!
Dive Into the History of the Chaos Emeralds
Sonic 2 remained fairly vague on the details regarding the history of the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds. Since Knuckles is the character most directly connected to the gemstones, a series about him ought to dive deeper into their history. How did the echidnas get their hands on the chaos emeralds? How did they create the Master Emerald? What other sorts of conflicts were the emeralds involved in? Heck, where did the Chaos Emeralds come from? SEGA has always been cagey about the Chaos Emerald’s origins, but that’s no reason for the movies to not touch on that in some way.
Whether its Tikal, Knuckles’ people, or a plot exposition fairy, the Knuckles series is the perfect opportunity to dive deeper. And if this does happen, Chaos and the chao ought to also be brought in, at least in some capacity. Chaos was the original Master Emerald guardian after all, and we know he wasn’t inside the Master Emerald in this universe. Maybe when the echidnas took the emeralds, he was imprisoned somewhere or something?
Basically, Make This a Weird Sonic Adventure Adaptation Set in Outer Space
I mean, this is basically what this whole article has been leading to, hasn’t it? Sonic Adventure was, in many ways, basically Knuckles’ story. His people, home, and the Master Emerald all sit at the center of the game’s events. It is the perfect game to mine for Knuckles-centric plot elements, and the many changes the SMU has made to the echidnas makes the game’s plot elements all the more enticing for a Knuckles TV series.
As I’ve been writing this, I’ve expected that Paramount already knows what it wants from a Knuckles series. So far, their Sonic writers have had a decent idea of what to take from the games. They’ve already grabbed bits and pieces from Sonic Adventure. I just hope they go back to that well again for this.
*** SPOILER WARNING:THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS PLOT DETAILS AND SCREENSHOTS FROM THE END OF SONIC 2 ***
When I went into the first Sonic movie more than two years ago, I wasn’t expecting much. I was incredibly cynical about the whole affair, in fact. “Sure,” I thought, “they made the design better. But plenty of terrible movies can still look nice.” Then, the Paramount and SEGA logos rolled, and the movie spent the next 13 minutes winning me over, before one moment finally sealed it. It demonstrated this movie was going to be more than pop culture references and Jim Carrey being Jim Carrey. This was a movie about a lonely kid that, shockingly, had a heart. Here, SEGA’s cool blue mascot was in a bad place, and desperately needed to find a way to move forward.
By the end of it he did, and it all started at a baseball field.
After giving the audience a tour of his adopted home, Green Hills, Sonic goes to a baseball game. A team wins, and they celebrate together, something Sonic is clearly envious of. Later, after nightfall, Sonic takes to the field and uses his speed to pretend to be an entire team. As a scene, there is a lot to like here: it features a creative use of Sonic’s speed, it shows what he’s capable of, and it also gives more screen time to establishing his character. The personalities Sonic gives his “teammates” are cute, and Ben Schwartz does a superb job bringing the whole thing to life. But then Sonic hits the ball, fails to catch it, “wins” the game by a hair, readies himself for the same sort of adulation he saw earlier only to experience…nothing. Because he’s alone.
For a moment, his cheerful façade cracks, and Sonic does something he never does in the games: he loses his cool. Overwhelmed by his loneliness, he unleashes all his pent-up frustrations by running laps around the field. This leads to a power outage across the entire Pacific Northwest, which naturally gets the attention of the US government and leads to Sonic getting discovered. More importantly, it also starts Sonic on a two-movie-long journey to finally experience what he saw on that field.
Two years later, Sonic was playing baseball again, but this time he wasn’t alone. He had an entire family to play with, celebrate with, and go off for ice cream with. As a scene, it acts as a very effective bookend to Sonic’s journey to end his loneliness and find his place in the world. Years after losing one family, he’s found another.
The through line these scenes book end ultimately make up the emotional core of these otherwise fairly trivial popcorn flicks, which makes them probably the most important ones of the entire film series so far. As cool as any of the action sequences are, and as effective as the characterization is for Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails, it would all mean next-to-nothing without that emotional core. Enjoyable movies aren’t built on action, pop culture jokes, weird Jim Carrey antics and Olive Garden gift cards. They are built on character, more specifically making audiences care about those characters.
Caring about Sonic and wanting to see him find that family he so desperately needs gives those action scenes weight. They make the bad jokes and Jim Carrey antics bearable. They make Sonic feel like a character and not a walking collection of dated references, and they give him a means to connect to characters like Tom, Tails, and Knuckles, creating the most effective and impactful scenes across both movies.
Of course, plenty of movies do the “found family” thing better, with Pixar’s Luca and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy executing it more effectively. The concept is also nothing new for Sonic as a franchise. Tails is Sonic’s little brother in the games, and the Freedom Fighters are basically Sonic’s surrogate family in both SatAM and Archie. Regardless, if someone had told me a few years ago that I’d get a little emotional at a scene in a Sonic movie where Sonic called a human “dad,” I’d call you a damn liar.
These movies had everything going against them from the beginning. From out of touch executives, to the terrible track record of video game adaptations, to how regularly terrible movies with cartoon animal sidekicks usually are! And yet, somehow, Sonic was able to find box office, audience, and (modest) critical success. Twice. Some will put the credit on the redesign and “listening to fans,” but the actual reason is much more fundamental: the movie’s writers were smart enough to give the characters heart, rooted in a game of baseball, that sprang forth into the most successful video game film franchise of all time.
As we move forward into a wider cinematic universe, I can only hope the Sonic Movie Universe’s creatives don’t lose sight of this. That heart is something that must be built upon and expanded, in order to keep audiences invested in these characters and their adventures.
Who likes financial briefings! Now, don’t raise your hands all at once, I know we’re all really excited to get new financial numbers, but for those of you who aren’t already sifting through the 74-page 2020 Results Presentation on SEGA SAMMY’s investor relations site, here are the highlights.
Although several other sites latched onto the “Super Game” mentioned eight times in the report, the way it appears in the presentation suggests “Super Game” might just be a term they use for a game that they can sell to a global audience. It may include new IP considering they have a separate 3-year plan to globalize their existing IP, but it would be very weird for a 5-year plan to include making some sort of global omni-game containing multiple titles. Not impossible, but very weird.
Other notable bits from the report include:
The Sonic series led traditional software sales with 4.4 million units sold, followed by Total War (4 million), Football Manager (3.8 million), and Persona (3 million).
Sonic is used as an example of strengthening the brand through media mix, specifically citing the original Sonic movie, the upcoming sequel, and the Netflix series Sonic Prime.
Games highlighted for release during fiscal 2021/2022 are Humankind, Shin Megami Tensei V, Total War: Warhammer III, Lost Judgment, and Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis.
SEGA’s European studio is working on an unspecified FPS project.
SEGA is instituting an approach of Remaster-Remake-Reboot in regard to current and past/dormant IP. Examples listed under past IP include Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Space Channel 5, Rez, Panzer Dragoon, NiGHTS, Shinobi, Virtua Fighter, Altered Beast, House of the Dead, Streets of Rage, and Soul Hackers, all with the asterisk “*Under examination of which IP to utilize.”
Game software sales stayed strong, and Free to Play titles were really strong throughout quarantine/social distancing.
SEGA SAMMY reiterates that they were hit hard by the economic effects of Covid, leading them to restructure (voluntary retirement, sale/restructure of arcade divisions). Spaces most prominently affected were the arcade business, arcade machines, pachinko/pachislots, and their resorts.
If you’ve ever wanted to know how much SEGA SAMMY is worth, they report having 367.6 billion yen in liquid assets as of March 2021 (or roughly 3.4 billion USD, 2.4 billion GBP, or 2.8 billion EUR). This amount is just liquid assets, and does not include the value of property the company owns or the IP it holds.
SEGA SAMMY acknowledges responsibilities regarding environmental sustainability, diversity, job satisfaction, and addiction prevention.
Oh, and hey, they’re working on a Gamera pachislot machine, which I personally like for esoteric reasons.
A cool pre-visualisation video of the CG effects used in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie has surfaced online. The short clip shows off a variety of different scenes which show how the blue blur would interact with different characters on screen. Continue reading Concept Animation Video of the Sonic Movie Hits the Internet
Paramount has revealed that their Sonic the Hedgehog movie will be returning to theaters in the United States and Canada for a limited time starting today. Currently, showings are listed for various theaters from today to next Thursday. As theaters attempt to navigate reopening amidst a pandemic, they are largely falling back on showing older films due to a dearth of new releases, with Sonic now being one of them.
We won’t beat around the bush, here: we at Sonic Stadium DO NOT endorse doing anything that will put your health at risk, including going to places like movie theaters where social distancing will be difficult to impossible. Last month, the Texas Medical Association released a chart that listed movie theaters as one of the places where risk of COVID-19 infection is high. While COVID-19 is believed to infect older and sicker people worse, healthy young people can also come down with a serious infection, which can lead to months of ongoing symptoms or death. If you still decide to go, please follow all health guidelines and ordinances.
Alternatively, you could just rent the movie for the price of a cheap movie ticket, or buy it outright for the price of a few, and just enjoy it in the safety of your home.
While we can all agree that the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog movie was jam-packed full of fantastic fan-service, one notable omission has been a talking point since its release – the lack of Sonic Adventure theme song group Crush 40 in the movie’s soundtrack. Today, a group of fans has launched a petition to encourage Sonic director Jeff Fowler to fix this for the newly-announced sequel, and singer Johnny Gioeli is very publicly on board with the idea. Continue reading Johnny Gioeli Joins Fan Call for Crush 40 to Feature in Sonic Movie Sequel
The Sonic movie finally opened in Chinese theaters today, more than five months after its originally scheduled date of February 28. The opening has been accompanied with a series of posters advertising COVID-19 guidelines, a stark reminder of how much the world has changed this year. Among the guidelines, Sonic asks people to wear a mask, not eat food, take their temperature, and social distance from others, including your own clones.
These images were posted to Twitter by Daniel Ahmad, who covers the Asian video game industry.
While the Sonic movie broke records for a video game movie in the west, delays in eastern markets caused by the pandemic have kept the movie from reaching the same worldwide numbers as Detective Pikachu. Be sure to check back to Sonic Stadium for news on the movie’s box office performance over the next few weeks!
Lee Majdoub, known to Sonic fans as Agent Stone from the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, will be attending Sonic Revolution 2020 this year.
Normally, the convention is held every June in Southern California, but for the first time ever, the convention will be held digitally and will be seen streaming live and online through Twitch and Discord. The convention will be available online on Saturday, June 20th. Guest lineup and more details will be coming soon.
You want box office and Rotten Tomato statistics? A wholly unnecessary return of LCD games from the 90s? A jacket stitched with three wildly different fonts!? We’ve got all that, and we’ll even remind you that all your favorite video game events are cancelled on this month’s Sonic Talk!
Feeling a little energetic at home? Maybe you have kids running around that need something to do? Well, to celebrate the incoming release of the Sonic movie on DVD and Blu-ray, Paramount has created a set of Sonic-themed exercises that you can do in the comfort of your living room! Continue reading Celebrate International Dance Day With These Sonic Movie Workouts
US Sonic fans, take note! Despite the Sonic the Hedgehog movie not being available for purchase on DVD/Blu-Ray until May 19, you can rent a copy of the movie at Rebox kiosks right now! The movie is available on DVD and Blu-ray, with the 4K version coming soon. Continue reading You Can Rent the Sonic Movie at Redbox Now
It’s a good thing that the Sonic the Hedgehog movie was released to cinemas back in February, before the coronavirus pandemic caused a total lockdown of many different cities and countries. Because we figure if Ben Schwartz’s blue blur and Jim Carrey’s Dr Robotnik had their face-off now, it’d probably go down on social media, or Skype or something. Continue reading This Fan-Made Sonic Movie Costume is So Realistic He’s Doing TikTok Duets With Other Cosplayers
The Sonic the Hedgehog movie has seen a number of changes throughout its production – most notably the design of the blue blur himself. But don’t let that make you think that the film’s post-credit scene was a last-minute addition – Jeff Fowler has revealed in a recent interview that that scene was always intended to be included.
In celebration of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie being released on digital, Microsoft is giving away a custom X-Box One X with a Sonic the Hedgehog movie graphic and a custom Sonic controller. Just head over to Xbox on Twitter and retweet their post with the hashtag #SonicXboxSweepstakes to enter a chance to win the custom console. You have to be over 18 to enter. The contest ends on April 14th.
Sonic the Hedgehog is available for purchase on all streaming services today, including iTunes, Prime Video and Vudu, for $19.99/£13.99.
The release includes special features such as the cut Baby Sonic clip we posted yesterday!
If you’d rather own this all physically, you’ll need to wait a little longer, as the blu-ray isn’t coming until May 19. If you do decide to wait, you’ll at least have the opportunity to get a steelbook edition! Check out the trailer, put together for the movie’s home release, below:
In addition to the blu-ray version announced a few days ago, the Sonic movie will also be getting a steelbook edition. This version will come with the 4K, blu-ray, and digital versions of the movie in a metal case, along with a book titled “The Adventures of Sonic & Donut Lord.”
This will be exclusive to Best Buy, and scheduled to release at the same time as the standard blu ray edition on May 19.
The Sonic movie broke another record last weekend, making $145 million and becoming the highest grossing video game movie in the United States. This just barely places it ahead of Detective Pikachu’s $144 million U.S. total.
In terms of overall box office, Sonic is still substantially behind Detective Pikachu. It passed $300 million last weekend, putting it well behind Detective Pikachu’s $433 million. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Sonic movie’s release dates in both China and Japan have been delayed, with a new release date still undecided. Detective Pikachu made over $120 million across these two regions last year.
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic forcing millions to self-quarantine, and with the movie hitting digital on demand services at the end of the month, this will obviously be our last box office update for awhile. All things considered, not a bad run for a movie many thought would be a disaster last year!
With many movie theaters now closed due to the pandemic, Hollywood is taking its theatrical releases like “Onward” and “Trolls 2” and putting them available to download digitally. According to an iTunes listing, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” will be available to purchase digitally on March 31st. What’s more, it will include bonus features likely meant for the Blu-Ray release, coming May 19th, as well.
Movies will often go through significant changes during production, with scripts typically going through drastic changes before the final direction is eventually settled upon. So it should come as no surprise that the Sonic movie went through some changes beyond its infamous redesign and the unused lizard villain leaked a few weeks ago. At one point, the movie was actually set to feature chaos emeralds and Super Sonic.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, Sonic movie director Jeffrey Fowler confirmed that Super Sonic and the chaos emeralds were considered, but ultimately cut for the sake of simplicity.
“It didn’t make sense to obviously bring in the Super Sonic thing just yet. I mean, there were very early versions of the script and the outlines where… because we knew that’s something that’s very important in the fan mythology, or the mythology that fans love. And Chaos Emeralds are definitely a huge part, even going back to the first game in ’91, and it was definitely something that we were kind of trying to see. Like, ‘Does it make sense to include one of these?’”
Ultimately, Fowler wanted to focus the movie on Sonic and Robotnik’s origins.
“But again, just going back to what I said about the simplicity of it and just for the sake of just really starting from the simplest version and not trying to do too much, it just felt like, ‘Let’s just… let’s do the origins as Sonic and Robotnik and try to nail those characters before we potentially would open it up to some of these elements from the games that fans know and love.’”
These comments appear to raise the likelihood of either or both the Chaos Emeralds and Super Sonic appearing in a sequel. Now that we know that Super Sonic was at one point slated for this movie, that leaves one very important question:
What did Super Sonic look like when movie Sonic still had more human proportions and freaky teeth? Will we ever find out? Do we even want to know?
Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog just keeps rushing past the competition, scoring the top box office spot worldwide for a second week in a row. Paramount recently reported that Sonic made another $26 million this weekend, which helped the movie steal the top box office spot away from its closest competition, Fox’s Call of the Wild. This brings the total US gross to $106.6 million.
Sonic has also continued to do well overseas, where it earned another $38.3 million, bringing it’s total international gross to $96.5 million. This came as Sonic opened in an additional 16 markets, bringing it to a total of 56 markets worldwide. Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog has now made $203.1 million worldwide.
Sonic’s international numbers are likely to improve as the movie comes to new markets over the next month, including large markets like China and Japan. Sonic is scheduled to open in Japan on March 27, while the movie’s Chinese opening date is uncertain due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
In an age when people are always hungry for details of “what’s next,” it’s not uncommon for a joke or off-handed comment to set off firestorm of rumors. That may have been what happened when actor Neal McDonough, who played Major Bennington, a.k.a. Major Nobody Cares (and also known for his role as Damien Darhk in Arrowverse) seemingly revealed that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could be appearing in a currently-unannounced Sonic the Hedgehog sequel.
While talking at FAN EXPO Vancouver, McDonough said “I’m looking forward to part two. Literally, part two, I’ve already heard rumblings that The Rock is going to be [in it]. The Rock is in part two of everything, by the way.” Regardless of whether or not he was joking, the comment already has people talking on Twitter, with many suggesting Johnson would be a perfect fit for Knuckles.
This isn’t the first time The Rock’s name has come up in connection with the Sonic movie. After a teaser referenced him back in December, Johnson commented on it, and Fowler offered him a last minute cameo. It’s possible that could be the “rumbling” McDonough spoke of, or maybe it led to something more.
Or maybe this is just speculation over an unannounced sequel that takes a joke from an actor who had a minor role in the movie out of context. We’ll see soon enough!
For more on McDonough’s thoughts on the movie, check out the source below.
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