'Sonic The Hedgehog' Set for China Release as Cinemas Re-Open

After being a huge hit in USA, Sonic The Hedgehog is now all set to debut on the big screen in China in 31st July 2020 thus being the headliner for the second weekend of business in newly re-opened cinemas.

The film will compete for audience attention with two other animated titles now set to hit screens July 31: a re-release of the 2014 Disney animated film “Big Hero 6,” which grossed $83.8 million in Chinese cinemas in 2015, and new local animation “Mr. Miao.”

“Sonic the Hedgehog” was initially scheduled to premiere in China on Feb. 28, two weeks after its Feb. 14 U.S. debut. The film grossed $146 million Stateside. Its most successful overseas territory to date has been the U.K., where it grossed $24 million, followed by France, where it grossed $17 million.

The film will number among the half dozen or so other American titles that are being deployed to help catalyze audience interest in returning to cinemas, most of which are highly family-friendly, such as “Coco” and Will Smith-starring “The Pursuit of Happyness.”

China’s theaters have been shut since late January — closures that have meant financial ruin for many exhibitors. Cinemas in low coronavirus-risk regions were allowed to resume operations on Monday, but it remains to be seen how quickly ticket sales will rebound. A number of previously scheduled but canceled major Chinese blockbusters are holding off on announcing premieres until the market is more robust.