Production companies sure take the mantra “Gotta go fast” to heart, don’t they? But here we are, on the cusp of the theatrical release of Paramount’s third Sonic the Hedgehog feature film and Variety reports the fourth film is already on the docket. And not too far away, either. Spring 2027 was the original timeline we were looking at for it, and now we know that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will arrive on March 19, 2027. The family-friendly franchise has proven a massive hit for Paramount, coming after the first film’s disastrous initial teaser led to some tinkering in the design department. It’s proven a very good move.
The first two films have a global box office take of just over $725 million worldwide and over $180 million in merch. That’s not nothing, especially for relatively small budgeted family films. Granted, neither was as successful as The Super Mario Bros., which alone raked in $1.3 billion. But hey, Sonic ain’t Mario. At any rate, the Sonic movies, plus Paramount+’s Knuckles spinoff series, have given Paramount and Sega plenty of franchise juice. Or rings? Whatever metaphor makes sense.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from director Jeff Fowler (who directed the first two as well) pits Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails against new enemy, Shadow the Hedgehog, as well as their ongoing nemesis Doctor Robotnik. Jim Carrey is back as the mustachioed, shout-prone Dr. Robotnik while Keanu Reeves assays the role of new villain Shadow the Hedgehog. Ben Schwartz, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, and Idris Elba are also back as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, respectively. It, too, saw quite a bit of excitement and success at the box office when it was released in December 2024. We’ll have to see if Sonic the Hedgehog 4 can keep the momentum going.
Originally published on December 19, 2024.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.