Sonic the Hedgehog has a lower Thursday night box office haul than Birds of Prey. Though 2020 isn't even two months old yet, the year has already seen a few notable commercial disappointments. January offerings like Dolittle and The Rhythm Section were outright bombs (with the latter setting a new record for box office futility), and February didn't get off to the best start. Despite earning widely positive reviews, Birds of Prey underperformed in its opening weekend, scoring the lowest debut for a DC adaptation in a decade. Its moderate budget means it won't be a flop a la Dolittle, but people were still expecting more.
This weekend brings another high-profile movie looking to make a splash: video game adaptation Sonic the Hedgehog. Distributor Paramount, fresh off the Rhythm Section bomb (not to mention other costly misfires in 2019), desperately needs it to be a hit and become a new franchise they can develop in the years to come. Fortunately, Sonic is projected to finish at the top of the box office in its debut, but its preview screenings delivered somewhat mixed results.
According to Deadline, Sonic grossed approximately $3 million from Thursday showings last night, a figure just below the $4 million posted by Birds of Prey last week. In a more positive development, Sonic fared better than The LEGO Batman Movie ($2.2 million) and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part ($1.5 million). All in all, Sonic is on pace to earn between $40-50 million for the extended Presidents Day weekend.
At first glance, Sonic making less than Birds of Prey on its opening Thursday isn't a great sign, but the two aren't an apples-to-apples comparison. Sonic, of course, is a fun PG-rated family film, while Birds of Prey is an R-rated action romp targeted at adults. It stands reason to believe Sonic is going to do most of its business on days when schools are closed and parents can bring their kids to matinees. While it's true the property has a fan base spanning generations (adults who grew up on the original Sega games were looking forward to the movie), Sonic wasn't necessarily a film poised for a massive Thursday showing. The $3 million it brought in last night will be a little extra to pad the final weekend total. It's not indicative of Sonic being another 2020 bomb.
$40-50 million would be a solid debut for Sonic, seeing that it was relatively inexpensive to make. Its production budget is estimated at only $85 million, much cheaper than similar titles like Detective Pikachu. It stands reason to believe Sonic the Hedgehog will be able to make its money back and turn a profit for Paramount, even if it isn't going to break any records. For many years, Hollywood struggled mightily with video game adaptations, but they seem to have turned things around recently.
Source: Deadline
