After a production and release date delay thanks to a last minute decision by Paramount to have its lead character completely redesigned following fan backlash, everything ended up working out pretty well for Sonic the Hedgehog. If current estimates hold up, it enjoyed the best opening weekend ever for a movie based off a video game with a take of $57 million, taking the record from last year’s Detective Pikachu.

That’s not bad at all for a film which many were predicting would bomb badly following the release of its first trailer last year, which got such a negative response that Paramount opted to dramatically change the movie they were releasing (it was originally set to come out last November). In the end, it paid off in a big way, as internet hype towards the film greatly improved following the reveal of the character’s more traditional revamp. Reviews were solid for Sonic at 63% “fresh” over at Rotten Tomatoes, which may not sound very high, but is very good for a video game film. Opening weekend audiences, meanwhile, were delighted by what they saw, giving Sonic an “A” CinemaScore.

Even better is that Sonic basically has the family market to itself until Onward opens, which doesn’t happen for another three weeks. Next weekend brings the Harrison Ford dog drama Call of the Wild, but tracking for that one hasn’t been particularly strong so far. In other words, a $100 million+ finish for Sonic is all but guaranteed here, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to guess that sequel options are already being discussed.

Elsewhere at the box office, Doolittle continued its “fine” run and has $70 million in the bank so far, which would be a lot better if it weren’t for the movie’s hefty $170 million price tag. Frozen II is hanging in there after more than two months in theaters with a total of $475 million, and still has a slight chance of topping the $486 million gross of Finding Dory before its finished.

Final figures are due tomorrow.