Sonic the Hedgehog 2 speeds past Sonic the Hedgehog as top-grossing video game movie

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is now the highest-grossing movie based on a video game of all time, Sega announced Friday. With worldwide box-office receipts of $331.64 million (and counting), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has surpassed the previous record-holder — the original Sonic the Hedgehog, which earned $319.71 million in 2020, just beating out the $314.1 million gross of 2017’s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.

The sequel hit theaters on April 8. Sonic franchise staples Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) and Miles “Tails” Prower (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) joined the speeding blue hedgehog this time around. Ben Schwartz reprised his role as Sonic, with James Marsden and Jim Carrey returning as human characters Tom and Dr. Robotnik, respectively.

The first Sonic movie defied the odds. After Paramount Pictures’ initial trailer in early 2019 revealed a … less-than-popular look for Sonic, the movie went back into production to give visual effects artists the opportunity to redesign the beloved character. With a new release date — hitting in February 2020, right before the pandemic — Sonic the Hedgehog managed to race to victory. And the second one used its success as a launchpad.

For more on Sonic the Hedgehog 2, check out our interview sequel in which our own Patrick Gill talks once again with Sonic actor Ben Schwartz.