‘Sonic 2’ Breaks Video Game Box Office Opening Record With $67 Million-Plus Start

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefBox office in mainland China over the weekend was the lowest this year as thousands of cinemas remained closed due to the expanding COVID outbreak.Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed that nationwide cinema revenue between Friday and Sunday sank to just $8.2 million. That compared with $10.5 the previous weekend.“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” was again the highest grossing title, with $1.7 million (RMB11.0 million), advancing its aggregate to $17.3 million (RMB111) since release on April 8, 2022.

J. Kim Murphy In a crowded weekend at the domestic box office that includes northmen and fantastic beasts and Nicolas Cage — oh my! — “The Bad Guys” has risen above the competition.

North Carolina rapper TiaCorine has released her first new song of 2022. It's titled "Gas Station" and comes with a video inspired by Rockstar's PS2 classic Bully.

Liam Gallagher has shared a clip of a new song and video, ‘Better Days’ – check it out below.Gallagher posted the snippet on Instagram and announced that the new song would be released tomorrow (April 21).He is due to release his third solo studio album, ‘C’mon You Know’, on May 27 via Warner. He’s so far previewed the project with two singles, ‘Everything’s Electric’ and the record’s title track.Check out the clip here:A post shared by Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher)Last week, the former Oasis frontman hinted that his upcoming album will include a few ballads, despite being a rock’n’roll record overall.

EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of its success with Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog films, SEGA has another franchise coming to the big screen with beat ’em up game Streets of Rage getting the film treatment, sources tell Deadline. Derek Kolstad, who created the John Wick action franchise and penned the Bob Odenkirk actioner Nobody, wrote the script.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChina’s theatrical box office fell to a new low over the weekend as anti-COVID restrictions forces thousands of cinemas to close. Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed that nationwide box office across the world’s most populous country amounted to just $10.5 million.

Refresh for latest…: It’s no secret that Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore had a less than magical opening domestically this weekend, coming after early overseas rollout began last frame. Still, offshore this weekend, the threequel was again the top movie and ranked No. 1 in 52 markets, including 41 of the 44 new openers. The overseas sophomore frame added $71.7M for a cume of $150.4M, bringing global just shy of $200M at $193.4M. In like-for-likes Dumbledore is running 38% behind the previous installment and 42% off the original.

Ed Sheeran is said to be penning a song to pay tribute to his late friend, Jamal Edwards. Jamal tragically died in February at the age of 31 after a period of “sudden illness”. He helped launch the Shape Of You hitmaker Ed's career after he filmed the then-up-and-coming star for his channel SB.TV and the pair soon formed a friendship too.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterMichael Bay, the filmmaker behind “Armageddon,” “Pearl Harbor” and the “Transformers” franchise, was once the premier architect of big-budget explosive blockbusters. “Ambulance,” the director’s latest detonating action-thriller, proves times and tastes have changed in the days since mayhem and Autobots ruled the box office.Over the weekend, Universal’s “Ambulance,” a heist thriller that largely unfolds on an EMS vehicle, stalled out with $8.7 million from 3,412 North American theaters.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” dominated the box office in China since its opening on Friday. But, with the country on high alert for COVID, the weekend’s cinema business remained close to recent lows.Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway shows “The Secrets of Dumbledore” earning RMB62.2 million ($9.7 million at current exchange rates) between Friday and Sunday. That gave it a huge 63% market share on a weekend worth just $15.5 million.In 2016, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find” them produced a $85.9 million total in China.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2” earned an excellent $71 million opening this weekend from 4,232 theaters, topping the $58 million launch of the first “Sonic” film in 2020 and setting opening records for video game adaptations and for lead star Jim Carrey. At a time when theaters have been looking for movies that can bring families back into the seats, “Sonic 2” delivered with parents and kids making up 58% of the opening weekend crowd — up from 49% for the first “Sonic” — with 67% under the age of 25.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is making big bucks!

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” sped to the top of the charts in its opening weekend, earning an impressive $71 million according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount’s PG-rated sequel easily bested the weekend’s other major newcomer, Michael Bay's “Ambulance,” which faltered in theaters.“Sonic 2,” which brings back the first film’s director, writers and cast, including James Marsden, Jim Carrey and Ben Schwartz, who voices the blue video game character, opened in 4,234 locations and actually surpassed its predecessor’s opening weekend.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” powered to $71 million in its domestic box office debut, a hopeful indication that family audiences are feeling better about returning to theater.In taking the No. 1 spot, Paramount’s kid friendly film towered over Sony’s Marvel adaptation “Morbius” and Universal’s Michael Bay action-adventure “Ambulance,” which debuted to a disappointing $8 million.Ticket sales for “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” set a new high watermark for video game adaptations, supplanting the opening weekend record established by its predecessor, 2020’s “Sonic the Hedgehog.” The first movie collected $58 million in its first three days of release and ended the President’s Day holiday weekend with a mighty $70 million.

video-game-inspired flick grossed $26.5 million on its opening night, according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo database.“Ambulance,” a Michael Bay thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal, came next, grossing $3.2 million on its premiere.“Morbius,” the latest movie based on a Marvel Comics character, followed with $2.9 million Friday and $49.8 million cumulatively.

J. Kim Murphy As the box office opens two films featuring high-octane speedsters this weekend, one has emerged a clear victor.