'Sonic' sequel zips to top of N.America box office
NYSE - LSE
| RBGPF | 0% | 78.35 | $ | |
| CMSD | -0.3% | 23.25 | $ | |
| RYCEF | -0.34% | 14.62 | $ | |
| NGG | -0.66% | 75.41 | $ | |
| BCC | -1.66% | 73.05 | $ | |
| CMSC | -0.21% | 23.43 | $ | |
| RELX | -0.55% | 40.32 | $ | |
| BCE | 1.4% | 23.55 | $ | |
| VOD | -1.31% | 12.47 | $ | |
| JRI | 0.29% | 13.79 | $ | |
| RIO | -0.92% | 73.06 | $ | |
| BTI | -1.81% | 57.01 | $ | |
| BP | -3.91% | 35.83 | $ | |
| AZN | 0.17% | 90.18 | $ | |
| SCS | -0.56% | 16.14 | $ | |
| GSK | -0.33% | 48.41 | $ |
'Sonic' sequel zips to top of N.America box office
Paramount's action-adventure film "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" took in an estimated $71 million in North America this weekend, a welcome sign for Hollywood that families are returning to in-person viewing, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
"This is an outstanding opening," particularly for a sequel to a video-based movie, said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.
The original "Sonic" film, based on the popular Sega game involving a lightning-fast hedgehog, scored a $58 million opening in early 2020 at a time when Covid-19 was only beginning to register as a threat.
The latest hybrid production includes Jim Carrey in a live-action role, while Ben Schwartz (Sonic), Idris Elba (Knuckles) and Colleen O'Shaughnessey (Tails) voice animated characters.
Last weekend's box office leader, Sony's vampire flick "Morbius," placed a very distant second this weekend, taking in $10.2 million, a steep drop from last weekend's $39.1 million. Jared Leto stars as a Nobel Prize-winner turned blood sucker in an adaptation from Marvel comics.
In third was another Paramount film, action romance "The Lost City," at $9.2 million. Sandra Bullock plays a romance novelist kidnapped by a twisted tycoon (Daniel Radcliffe) who wants her to help him find a buried artifact on a remote, volcano-prone island.
Fourth spot went to a new Universal release, action adventure "Ambulance," at $8.7 million. Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II star as adoptive siblings who steal an ambulance to escape after a bank heist.
And in fifth was dark superhero film "The Batman" from Warner Bros., taking in $6.5 million in its sixth week out. Robert Pattinson plays the caped crime fighter.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" ($6 million)
"Uncharted" ($2.7 million)
"Dog" ($635,000)
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" ($625,000)
"Jujutsu Kaisen 0" ($500,000)
M.Vecchiarelli--LDdC
