Sonic the Hedgehog Star James Marsden on the Movie’s Success: “It Feels Great”

Obviously the world is a bit different right now thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, what with theaters shutting down for the most part and upcoming releases moved or cancelled, but before all that went down, Sonic the Hedgehog managed to become the top video game adaptation at the United States box office with a domestic haul of $146,066,470. It still hasn’t taken the crown worldwide, and there’s no telling if it will at this point due to delayed premieres in the likes of China and elsewhere, but that’s still a mighty impressive feat for a movie people initially thought was going to be a dud. And James Marsden, who stars in the film as Sonic’s human friend Tom Wachowski, is proud of that.

ComicBook.com had a chance to speak with Marsden in the wake of the film’s early release on digital home video. When asked how he felt about the film’s U.S. box office, which puts it domestically as the top video game adaptation, Marsden praised his co-star, director, and more — and that includes the fans that initially balked at the main character’s design.

ComicBook.com: Sonic the Hedgehog, top video game adaptation at the U.S. box office. Congrats.

James Marsden: Thank you.

How does it feel?

It feels great. It feels good, because this is what you’d always hoped for when you step foot into the project, and I thought we had a good script and a great cast and an excellent director and a good team. It was a rocky road getting through it. I think we liked the movie we were making, but it got to the point where we needed to pay attention to what the fans wanted. I’m very proud and happy that we did it, and it paid off. I think we came out right at the right time before the world changed, and we were a nice dose of like, “Oh, I remember how movies can be fun and family movies can be just as entertaining as anything.” We got lucky, and also, on top of that, I feel like we just made a good product and I’m super proud of it.

*****

Did you get a chance to see the Sonic the Hedgehog movie in theaters? Or have you caught it on home video? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

Here’s how Paramount Pictures describes the film:

“Based on the global blockbuster videogame franchise from Sega, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG tells the story of the world’s speediest hedgehog as he embraces his new home on Earth. In this live-action adventure comedy, Sonic and his new best friend Tom (James Marsden) team up to defend the planet from the evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his plans for world domination. The family-friendly film also stars Tika Sumpter and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic.”

Sonic the Hedgehog is now available to purchase on digital with a physical Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD release set for May 19th. You can pick it up via Amazon right here. The film stars Ben Schwartz as the voice of the eponymous hedgehog, James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, a police officer that befriends Sonic, and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, the franchise’s classic villain and scientist. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie here.

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