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Amid the continued success of its third installment, Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog feature franchise has zoomed past $1B at the worldwide box office. Based on the Sega video game, the first two pictures were released in February 2020 and April 2022, respectively, grossing a combined $725.2M globally. The threequel, which released domestically on December 20 and expanded overseas beginning December 25, has grossed over $312M to date, bringing the running franchise total to more than $1.037B.
Each of the films has been directed by Jeff Fowler. The first two movies generated $181M in consumer spending from home entertainment rentals and purchases. Last April, spinoff series Knuckles debuted on Paramount +, earning over 11M total global hours in its first 28 days of streaming, making it the No. 1 Kids & Family series ever in terms of hours on the platform.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 nabbed an “A” CinemaScore and has a franchise-best 86% Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score, as well as a franchise-best 96% Verified Hot Popcornmeter score. The film opened to No. 1 domestically, then debuted to the franchise’s biggest international box office opening, with just 84% of the offshore footprint in the mix.
On a like-for-like basis, including previews, for the same group of markets this result was 83% ahead of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The movie also reached $100M in international box office gross faster than its predecessors.
The latest film features the return of the original cast, including Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. Also starring are Ben Schwartz, Krysten Ritter, Lee Majdoub, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Alyla Browne and James Wolk with James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves.
The screenplay is by Pat Casey & Josh Miller and John Whittington, with story by Pat Casey & Josh Miller. Producers are Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara and Hitoshi Okuno.
Paramount recently announced that development is underway for a fourth feature.
Said Moritz and Ascher, “We are so overjoyed with the amazing response to the Sonic the Hedgehog films from audiences and fans around the world and are proud to be part of the incredible, world-class filmmaking team that has come together to build this franchise. We make these movies for the fans; and their passion, support and love for these characters is what drives us every day to continue creating the fast, funny and action-packed stories that make up the ever-expanding Sonic Universe.”
Commented Paramount Pictures President & CEO Brian Robbins, “The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has become an unstoppable cultural force with limitless potential. Congratulations to our partners at Sega, our filmmaking team, including Neal, Toby and Jeff, who have revolutionized the heights that Sonic can reach, and the legions of loyal and devoted fans who have helped guide us every step of the way. As each chapter of Sonic’s adventures continues to raise the bar, we’re incredibly proud and excited to continue delivering stories and characters that resonate with audiences around the world.”
