paramount is reportedly “delighted” with Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s opening weekend, which saw the movie top several overseas markets.

Sonic 2 opened in Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand this weekend and grossed $25.5 million from 31 markets, according to Deadline. The movie isn’t set to debut in North America until Friday, April 8.

The markets reportedly represent around half of the movie’s overseas footprint, and paramount is said to be “delighted” with the results, which are 2% above the original movie in like-for-likes.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was No. 1 in markets such as the UK ($6.4M), France ($5.7M), Australia ($2.8M), Spain ($2.2M/339) and Germany ($2.1M/). Sweden, Czech Republic, Austria, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand, Slovakia and South Africa all also saw No. 1 starts.

The original Sonic the Hedgehog was a surprise success, with it becoming the top-grossing video game adaptation of all time in the US. paramount Pictures and Sega revealed in February that a third Sonic film and a live-action TV series have entered production.

Toby Ascher, who was a producer on 2020’s Sonic film and the upcoming sequel, commented on plans for a “Sonic cinematic universe” in production notes released to coincide with the lifting of the Sonic 2 review embargo.

“We’re creating a Sonic cinematic universe, so we knew we were going to add characters, like Tails and Knuckles; new to the films but beloved by gamers all over the world,” he said.

VGC’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie review called it a much better film than the original and said there’s a pleasant surprise to be found in the chemistry between its new characters.

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“Idris Elba’s performance as the steely Knuckles, which has him channelling the deadpan humour of Guardian of the Galaxy’s Drax, offers the perfect contrast to Sonic’s energetic snark. His backstory also provides a pleasing footing for his connection to the blue mascot, previously not revealed in the games.

“Meanwhile, Tails provides the brains of the trio, with his gadgets and smarts threading together much of the movie’s action sequences. In Sonic 2’s timeline Tails and Sonic have never met before, and there are some genuinely sweet moments where viewers get to watch the pair’s friendship develop on screen.”