Paramount isn’t slowing down its biggest blue moneymaker. The studio has officially announced a new Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off (a Sonic Universe movie) set to hit theaters on December 22, 2028. Produced by Neal H. Moritz’s Original Film in partnership with SEGA Sammy Group, the project marks Sonic’s first big-screen appearance since the smash-hit Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Last year’s pre-Christmas launch of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 exploded out of the gate at $60.1 million domestic, eventually racing to $236.1M domestically and $492.1M worldwide. With that performance, the Sonic trilogy reached a cumulative $1.2 billion globally, and soon saw the greenlight of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 which will premiere in March 2027 — a different movie to this one.
Paramount+ also benefited from the brand’s momentum. The Knuckles spinoff series became the streamer’s No. 1 Kids & Family title ever, notching over 11 million global hours watched in its first month. As far as modern multimedia franchises go, Sonic has quietly become one of Paramount’s most consistent performers.
Below is a quick look at how the Sonic films have performed globally:
| Film | Domestic Gross | International Gross | Worldwide Total |
| Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) | $148M | $170M | $318M |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) | $190M | $214M | $404M |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) | $236.1M | $256M | $492.1M |
| Total | $574.1M | $640M | $1.214B |
How Successful Are The Sonic Movies?
In a welcome twist, the threequel didn’t just perform at the box office — it flourished on streaming as well. After its theatrical run, the film became one of the most popular movies on Paramount+, giving the trilogy a rare second wind. Critically, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is the series’ most celebrated entry to date. On Rotten Tomatoes, it earned a 86% critic score and a 95% audience score. Collider’s Aidan Kelley also praised the film in his 2024 review, awarding it an 8/10 and highlighting:
“Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ends a refreshingly consistent trilogy that is just as good as its predecessors. Paramount has already teased its ambitious plans for the Sonic saga, and if the series wants to live up to the lofty legacy of something like the MCU, then it needs to learn how to take things to the next level… Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is certainly pointing things in the right direction.”
via Collider