Hollywood is eyeing a super green hedgehog this weekend.
By Paramount “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is the first family-friendly film to be released in theaters this year and is expected to signal if this highly sought-after demographic is finally ready to return. again many times.
The film’s early box office returns are encouraging for the industry. On Thursday, the film hit $6.25 million in preview ticket sales, more than double the $3 million that the first “Sonic” took in its preview sales more than two years ago. The studio is projecting the sequel to gross about $50 million in its opening weekend, due to Video game film record worth $58 million Its predecessor scored in February 2020. At that point, Covid-19 had already begun to spread, but it had yet to be officially designated a pandemic.
“Sonic 2,” starring Jim Carrey and Idris Elba, will be a key comparison for home movies in 2022. During the pandemic, parents have returned to theaters more movies with their young children, many of whom were not eligible for the vaccine until fall 2021. Children under 5 are still not eligible.
“Family movies have had a hard time gaining consistent traction during the pandemic, with parents choosing more than ever about the movies they choose to bring their kids to see at home. multiplex and of course the endless availability of family-friendly content at home on the small screen,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
As of March 2020, no film specifically targeting families has generated more than $200 million at the domestic box office.
The family film genre usually focuses on parents with children under the age of 13. These movies are aimed at the younger generation and often have a “G” rating of “PG”. Sometimes, movies with a PG-13 rating are placed in this group because the ratings are a bit low before reaching an “R”.
For example, “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, “The Batman” and “Jungle Cruise” are all rated PG-13. Arguably “Spider-Man” and “Jungle Cruise” are a bit more suitable for younger children than the dark and repulsive new Batman movie.
Marketing is a good indicator of whether a movie is considered family-friendly, says Dergarabedian. “Spider-Man,” while technically accessible to families, has been marketed to an older demographic in the 18 to 35 year old range.
On the other hand, “Jungle Cruise” is marketed as a family-friendly adventure movie based on one of the Disney’s most iconic games in amusement park. It is the second highest-grossing family film released during the pandemic, grossing $116.9 million during last summer. The film came out in the midst of an outbreak of the Covid variant.
The highest-grossing family film released during the pandemic is By Universal “Sing 2” has amassed $161.9 million since its December 2021 launch, according to data from Comscore. The film was released at a time when many children had already received two doses of the vaccine.
By comparison, Disney’s “Encanto,” which arrives during the usually strong Thanksgiving holiday, grossed just $96 million in theaters before heading to the studio’s Disney+ streaming service on Christmas Eve. .
Because of lackluster attendance during the pandemic, studios have reduced family-friendly titles even further on the calendar. If “Sonic 2” opens on a solid footing, it could be a signal that future movies like Pixar’s “Lightyear,” due out in June, and Universal’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” will come out. premieres in July, is on track to more standardize box office sales.
Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com, said: “Studios have waited a long time for parental affection to be high enough in the dying days of the pandemic before releasing popular family content. sound on a regular basis”. “Sonic 2 is capitalizing on massive audience demand for home movies that have only hit theaters infrequently over the past year and are often dominated by new Covid variants in the news headlines.”
“However, that is not the case now, as many people have returned to their pre-pandemic lifestyles such as going to the movies,” he said.
BoxOffice.com predicts “Sonic 2” will open with between $60 million and $75 million in ticket sales.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. Universal is the distributor for “Sing 2” and “Minions: The Rise of Gru.”
