After the success of the original Sonic the Hedgehog back in 2020, it was a foregone conclusion that this weekendβs Sonic 2 would be a hit at the box office. People love Sonic, they love Jim Carrey, and they love themselves some Idris Elba doing surprisingly good in roles you wouldnβt have normally pegged him for. Add the fact that there hasnβt really been a big theatrical release family film yet for 2022, and is it any wonder that the Blue Blurβs sophomore outing is doing well in its opening weekend?
Per Forbes, the Sega sequel has earned $71 million stateside and $141 million overall. Domestically, that $71M isnβt a massive step up from the first filmβs $70 million debut on Presidents Day weekend 2020, but itβs a good sign that film will have some legs, pardon the pun. According to Deadline, itβs also now the biggest domestic opening weekend of Jim Carreyβs career, beating out the $68 million start that Bruce Almighty gained all the way back in 2003. The filmβs gotten decent reviews overall, but itβs families and Sonic fans who are really turning up for this one, singing its praises as an improvement over the original film. It didnβt hurt that Paramount had early screenings beginning on Wednesday, and word of mouth has particularly called the film a great showcase for the furry trio of Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Elbaβs Knuckles, and Colleen OβShaughnessyβs Tails. We wonβt have to wait too long to see them again, as a third movie is already in development, along with a spinoff for the knuckly echidna in the near future.
Outside of Sonic, the other two big releases of the weekendβMichael Bayβs heist thriller Ambulance and the Michelle Yeoh showcase Everything Everywhere All at Onceβhave had decent domestic openings. The R-rated Ambulance, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza Gonzalez, and Jake Gyllenhaal has earned $8.7 million in North America, leading to an overall $31.1M globally, since the film released in overseas markets nearly a month ago. Meanwhile, after two weeks of limited screenings across the country, Everything Everywhereβs domestic wide release open came in at $6 million, contributing the most to the filmβs overall $9 million take. This morning, A24 announced their plans to expand the filmβs theatrical run in the coming weeks.
Time will tell how Ambulance and Everywhere fare for the rest of their respective runs. For movies, April looks to be a pretty big month with Nicholas Cageβs Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and The Northman landing on April 22. Combined with the sequel to a certain wizardβs movie next month, itβs going to be a busy time at the movies for the spring and summer season.
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