Having debuted to direct competition from Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King some weeks ago, Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has emerged as a box office champion in its own right. The movie was produced at roughly half the reported cost of Mufasa, but has consistently out-performed it domestically. This weekend, it retained a spot in the domestic top five, while also passing a massive milestone globally. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has also provided a much-needed shot in the arm for the struggling Paramount; the studio will probably keep falling back on the franchise for years to come.
With an estimated $216 million domestically and another $203 million from overseas markets, Sonic the Hedgehog 3's cumulative global haul now stands at $419 million. The movie has now overtaken Sonic the Hedgehog 2's $405 million lifetime global haul to become the trilogy's top-grossing film, and the second-biggest video-game adaptation of all time. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has already achieved this distinction domestically. Directed by Jeff Fowler, the three Sonic movies have generated a combined total of over $1.1 billion globally -- a remarkable feat for a franchise that began only in 2020.
The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie debuted just a few weeks before the pandemic brought the world to a standstill. The movie concluded its global run with just over $300 million. Released in 2022, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 grossed $405 million worldwide. Both films were produced on reported budgets of under $100 million, potentially making them massively profitable for the studio. Sonic the Hedgehog 3, on the other hand, cost a reported $120 million to produce. While it's the most expensive installment of the trilogy, most other franchise films of this kind typically cost much more. For instance, last year's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes concluded its global run with just under $400 million, but cost a reported $170 million to produce.
A Fourth Sonic Movie Is Already in the Works Close
In addition to its box office success, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is also the best-reviewed film of the trilogy. It appears to have settled at a "fresh" 88% rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The film's audience score sits at an even more impressive 96%. This franchise isn't going anywhere. A fourth movie is already in the works, while expansion to streaming has already begun thanks to the Paramount+ show Knuckles. Also featuring James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, and Keanu Reeves, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is playing in theaters.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and grab your tickets below.
8 10 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.
Director Jeff Fowler Cast Ben Schwartz , Jim Carrey , Keanu Reeves , Idris Elba , Colleen O'Shaughnessey , Krysten Ritter , James Marsden , Tika Sumpter , Alyla Browne , Lee Majdoub , Natasha Rothwell , Shemar Moore , Adam Pally , Tom Butler , James Wolk , Jorma Taccone , Cristo Fernández , Sofia Pernas , Brett Tutor , Richard Sutton , Will Austin , Barry Calvert , Brendan Murphy , Toru Nakahara Runtime 110 minutes Expand
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