With “Sonic The Hedgehog 3” set to outclass Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King,” this weekend at the box office—the latter coming from a franchise whose predecessor grossed a whopping $1.657 billion—Paramount is feeling really good about its anthropomorphic hedgehog’s chances. Variety is now reporting that a “Sonic The Hedgehog 4” is already in the works and being eyed for a 2027 release.
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“Sonic The Hedgehog 3” currently stands at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and is set to lead this weekend’s box office with a projected $60+ million and a potential of an additional $70 million internationally (read our review here). That’s modest by giant-sized blockbuster opening standards and actually would be the smallest opening of any of the two previous films, but in 2024, when moviegoing is still struggling, and audiences are being careful with their money as a Trump age looms, it’s a pretty decent chunk of cash.
“Sonic The Hedgehog” films have grossed $707 million so far worldwide, and given the positive buzz and expectations of the third film, that number is likely to cross $1 billion eventually.
‘Sonic’ films are generally modest hits, but their budgets are reasonable, and they tend to make Paramount good money, especially on the value of ancillary markets where kids watch these things on repeat. No ‘Sonic’ film has cracked $200 million domestically, but ‘Sonic 2’ came very close, and perhaps ‘Sonic 3,’ which features Keanu Reeves as the new villain and hedgehog, can surpass that figure.
News of a ‘Sonic 4’ shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Director Jeff Fowler has already teased a potential fourth film, and franchise expansion has always been the plan. He’s definitely expected to return for the fourth film.
Plus, anyone who has seen the film already (critics) knows more is being planned. *Spoilers* below, be forewarned.
As you probably expected if you’re a ‘Sonic’ franchise fan, the film teases more to come in the post-credit scene. If you’re a Sonic fan, you know there are more popular characters that haven’t yet been in the movies, and this third film teases both the hedgehog known as Amy and the robot Metal Sonic. [Variety]
