“Sonic” benefits from being the first top-flight family theatrical release since “Sing 2” last Christmas. The February 21 release of Pixar’s “Turning Red” received much better reviews, but of course Disney made that a Disney+ exclusive outside of three limited runs. The original “Sonic the Hedgehog” opened to $58 million on February 14, 2020 to become the last pre-COVID theatrical debut over $50 million. The second installment of a franchise often exceeds the first, which suggests $71 million represents a shot at normalcy. The summer is top heavy with sequels from major franchises; similar performances could mean exceeding expectations.

This extends Paramount’s consistent run of opening above projections and by some distance, it’s the best. After a minimum 45-day window, it will feed Paramount+ and presumably increase its family appeal. Related 2023 Brings a Diverse Set of Oscar Contenders. Will the Final Nominees Reflect that? ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Continues Surge, Most Other New Titles Swoon as Holiday Nears End Related 51 Directors’ Favorite Horror Movies: Bong Joon Ho, Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro, and More ‘Lift Me Up’ Rises to Frontrunner Status in Best Original Song RaceBudgeted at $90 million, “Sonic” looks like it will be April’s standout release. “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” (Warner Bros.), which opens next weekend in the U.S., just opened to around $58 million in 22 territories. With each of its two predecessors, those same territories generated twice as much. In the U.S./Canada, the first two “Fantastic Beasts” in November 2016 and 2018 opened to $74 million and $62 million respectively; this time around, the film will have the benefit of Easter weekend. With “Sonic” providing a bit over 60 percent, total gross rose to $116 million and became the third weekend this year to see over $100 million. This weekend represents 80 percent of the same period three years ago and the four-week rolling comparison of the same dates rose to 63 percent. Universal “Ambulance” (Universal), Michael Bay’s smaller-scale action film starring Jake Gyllenhaal, managed not-terrible reviews and a fine A- Cinemascore but landed at #4 with a weak $8.7 million. “Morbius” went from disappointing to worse with a horrific 74 percent second-weekend drop. “The Lost City” (Paramount) held better, off 38 percent for third spot. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) was impressive with about $6 million in 1,250 theaters. The SXSW-premiered title with strong younger-audience appeal expanded in its third weekend to land at #6. It is largely playing mainstream theaters, with signs of broader reach that will be tested with further expansion. This weekend, the only title in the top 10 with home availability is “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony), which grossed under $1 million for #9. Next weekend, it could be down to none.

Two limited openings of note. The reissue of David Lynch’s “Inland Empire” (Janus) scored a strong showing at New York’s IFC Center (nearly $20,000 for the weekend), although the Los Angeles result was weak. “Viva Maestro” (Greenwich), a documentary about conductor Gustav Dudamel, opened well with $14,310 in two theaters, placing #1 at New York’s Film Forum and #2 at The Landmark in Los Angeles. In a sign of different times, grosses for the well-reviewed “Cow” (IFC), “Donbass” (Film Movement), and “The Girl and the Spider” (Cinema Guild) went unreported. This was once a rarity, now is becoming more common. And just two weeks post-Oscars, the winners are barely a blip. The Top 10