With Sonic the Hedgehog 2, our filmmakers and producing partners delivered the high-quality theatrical experience that the whole family had been waiting for, and we are thrilled with the enthusiastic global response to the characters and world we have created out of the beloved Sonic IP. — Marc Weinstock, President, Worldwide Marketing & Distribution, Paramount Pictures
This milestone demonstrates that audiences are hungry for great family entertainment, and that when we deliver on world-class, enduring franchises, crowds deliver in theatres. We can’t wait to expand the Sonic universe further and bring more exciting stories to fans with the next film installment and the upcoming Paramount+ series. — Daria Cercek, Co-President, Paramount Motion Picture Group
It’s celebratory time at Paramount as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has officially passed the $400 million mark for global ticket sales. With only a $90 million production budget, and certainly no more than that in marketing, the movie is probably going to make Paramount somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 – $100 million in profits off of just its theatrical release. Physical DVD and BR sales plus digital purchases are icing on the cake.
This puts Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on a totally inverted path versus Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear fiasco. In the case of Sonic, the movie had a budget of $90 million for production. Disney and Pixar sunk more than double that into Lightyear. But at the box office, Sonic is winding up at $400 million whereas Lightyear is going to struggle to hit $200 million. That’s doubly true because if Lightyear collapses at the box office, Disney is unlikely to let it sit out there pulling in embarrassing numbers rather than “surprising” audiences with a “super special” early release onto Disney+. That gives them an excuse rather than just letting it fully die on the vine for everyone to see.
The only thing not fully inverted here are the profits and losses for the two films. You already know Sonic’s likely theatrical profit, but Lightyear’s is not just the opposite, it’s dramatically worse. If Lightyear fails to eclipse $200 million at the box office, and with the movie going to Disney+ for free, this is one bomb that could cost Disney $300 million in total. Ouch!
Maybe that’s why Daria Cercek had the line about “this milestone demonstrates that audiences are hungry for great family entertainment.” Everyone knows that Lightyear and Sonic are aimed at the exact same demographic. And everyone knows which strategy wins.
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