While it could have flown much higher were it not for the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, Sonic the Hedgehog still performed well enough to go down in the history books as one of the most critically and commercially successful video game adaptations of all-time.
A global haul of just under $320 million was enough to see it end up as the sixth highest-grossing release of 2020, not to mention the biggest-earning video game movie ever at the domestic box office, and the genre’s fifth most lucrative effort ever. Not only that, but it also became just the second console-to-screen blockbuster to earn a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 63% score putting it behind only Detective Pikachu‘s 68%.
Naturally, a sequel was announced last May, and the news went down a storm with fans, a far cry from when a lot of people were predicting disaster for Sonic the Hedgehog based entirely on the nightmarish original design for the title character. Luckily, Paramount went back to the drawing board at great expense to give Sonic a much more palatable appearance, and now the studio can reap the rewards for years to come.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is penciled in to hit theaters in April of next year, and director Jeff Fowler has confirmed this week that production is officially underway, sharing the set photo that you see below.
That means casting confirmations can’t be too far away, with Knuckles widely expected to be involved after Jason Momoa was reportedly offered the opportunity to voice the echidna, while Sonic the Hedgehog‘s two post-credits scenes have essentially given away the involvement of Tails and a much more video game-accurate look for Jim Carrey as returning villain Robotnik.