One of the most anticipated movies of 2024, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, was domestically released on Dec 20. It successfully met fan expectations of the video game franchise, proved itself worthy globally, and made $21.5 million in its opening weekend.
To welcome the new year, on Jan 5, 2025, Paramount Pictures and SEGA announced that the franchise had reached $1.037 billion. The film has solidified more momentum than its predecessors in the series, gaining better ratings from critics and audiences alike.
The first movie in the Sonic the Hedgehog series gained $320 million, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 made $405 million.
Fans’ excitement was on the rise following the credit scene from the sequel, which revealed the new character from 2001’s Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow the Hedgehog, on the big screen. This allowed much buildup for the third movie. Paramount Pictures and SEGA successfully collected anticipation from new and old fans of the series with their advertisements of Shadow and his new portrayal.
Unlike the first two films, Paramount and SEGA made it clear the movie would follow darker tones with Shadow the Hedgehog and his backstory, succeeding in keeping him a mystery in trailers and announcements for the film.
SEGA later announced 2024 as the ‘Year of Shadow,’ making it known worldwide that the year would surround this mysterious hedgehog. The game Sonic X Shadow Generations was released in October before the film, allowing many to learn who Shadow the Hedgehog is before his big-screen appearance.
Paramount helped build anticipation for many, announcing Keanu Reeves, a beloved actor in the acting industry, voicing this new hedgehog in the third installment.
On the film’s opening weekend, he expressed his care and enjoyment towards voicing the character, “I find it exhilarating, I went searching and looking… trying to find my inner Shadow and bring it out to the fore.”
Jim Carrey also played a large role throughout all three films as Dr. Ivo Robotnik. After announcing his retirement following 2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2, he made an exception to the third installment in the series and shortly came out of retirement. Doubling down, he played two roles rather than one, as Dr. Ivo Robotnik and grandfather Gerald Robotnik.
Director of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Jeff Fowler shares, “For him to create a whole new character within the world was certainly an exciting opportunity, and he just went all in,” adding praise to Jim Carrey’s performance.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 made over $385 million worldwide within its short time in 2024. Out of the three released films, the third installment has proven itself worthy with the highest ratings in the franchise, scoring 87 percent from critics on Rotton Tomatoes and 97 percent from audiences.
The Sonic the Hedgehog series has reached its peak in popularity since its big screen reveal compared to previous years. The spike in admiration won’t stop anytime soon as excitement continues to build for 2027’s Sonic the Hedgehog 4.
