“Sonic the Hedgehog” Bombs on First Weekend in China’s Movie Theaters

Ben Schwartz in "Sonic the Hedgehog"

Despite its success in the stateside box offices, Sonic the Hedgehog got a lukewarm reception this weekend as it opened in China. This is the second weekend that movie theaters in China are back in business. The blue speedster raked only $1.27 million, coming behind other international debuts such as Dolittle and Jojo Rabbit and after the local Chinese drama Enigma of Arrival, which grossed $3.34 million.

Variety reports that around 65% of the theaters in China—7,099 of them—were open this weekend. Their overall income was a mere $17.6 million, only $5 million more than the week before. This poor performance is mainly due to restrictions the government issued on the operations, limiting the number of screenings scheduled and the number of tickets sold to only 30% of their maximum capacity. These restrictions are meant to maintain social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Sonic the Hedgehog remains the highest-grossing movie based on a video game to this date. It grossed $146 million in the U.S. and over $306 million around the world. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is in the works and is scheduled to be released in April 2022.