To those who have been paying attention to the box office post-pandemic, you’ll know that many movie studios have been trying various acts to “maximize profit,” which has shifted the “foundations” of what many of come to expect from movie releases. In this case, we’re talking about how a movie would be in theaters for at least a few months and then go to DVD and other places. However, in 2024, and apparently 2025, studios are racing to get their films to digital and streaming platforms, with Sonic The Hedgehog 3 likely being the next movie project that embraces that new philosophy.
While it hasn’t been confirmed by Paramount as of yet, A Vudu listing that was posted on Reddit indicates that the third film featuring the blue blur will race onto digital platforms on January 21st! That’s less than three weeks away and JUST a month after the film’s theater release. Now, again, the film hasn’t been confirmed to be heading to digital platforms yet by Paramount, but it would track with everything that’s been happening in the last year.
The reason this is a bit of a headscratcher for many fans and moviegoers is that Sonic The Hedgehog 3 has been crushing it in theaters. It’s already gotten over $200 million globally, and despite certain posts from Disney, it has been the #1 movie in America for the last two weeks. You’d think that Paramount would try to keep it in the box office for longer to not only keep up the pace but also attempt to match the revenue that the second film got in 2022. Only time will tell what the movie studio does on that front.
However, we do know what they’re doing with Sonic in the future, as a 4th movie has already been confirmed. Light spoilers ahead!
In the end credits sequences for the third film, we see Sonic attacked by an army of Metal Sonics and then saved by Amy Rose, which opens up plenty of storylines for the 4th movie to dive into, including the potential “romance” between Amy and Sonic that is a “hallmark” of the franchise…even if fans aren’t the biggest, well, fans of it.
Plus, the arrival of Metal Sonic means we could see “Metal Overlord” in the film’s climax, depending on how Jeff Fowler and the crew handle it.
Not to mention, Shadow The Hedgehog is still alive, and that means that his adventures could continue, and many hope that he gets a spinoff movie.