Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog movie will release early on digital this month due to the coronavirus. Directed by Jeff Fowler, the live-action/CGI film follows the famously super-fast video game character (voiced by Ben Schwartz) as he joins forces with small-town sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and does battle with the diabolical roboticist Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). The film was surprisingly well-received by critics when it opened in February and has since surprassed Detective Pikachu to become the all time highest-grossing video game movie in the U.S. Globally, it's made $306 million, more than tripling its budget.
Of course, Sonic is unlikely to add much to its gross at this point. Most theaters have closed worldwide becuase of the COVID-19 outbreak, with the U.S. box office dropping to its lowest numbers since the beginning of the 21st century. A growing number of studios have responded by making their current releases available to watch at home much earlier this planned, with Paramount being the latest adition to the trend.
Today, the studio announced Sonic the Hedgehog will become available to watch on digital starting Tuesday, March 31. It will follow suit on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and for rental on-demand and disc on Tuesday, May 19. The digital, 4K Ultra HD, and Blu-ray combo will include a commentary by Fowler and Schwartz, deleted scenes introduced by Fowler, bloopers, and several featurettes about the making of the film.
Unlike a lot of the movies releasing early on digital and/or on-demand this month because of the coronavirus, Sonic the Hedgehog was already winding down at the box office. But with so many people self-quarantining to help prevent the further spread of the virus, it makes sense for Paramount to make the film available to them to watch at home as soon as possible. While March movies like Onward and Bloodshot are angling to cushion the blow from their shortened box office runs by performing strongly with their early home releases, there's less pressue on Sonic. Using the old rule of thumb (read: a film needs to make more than twice its budget at the box office before it turns a profit), the Sega video game adaptation is already in the black, even before its home market sales are accounted for.
For that reason, it's all but a given Paramount will green-light Sonic the Hedgehog 2 at some point in the future, once Hollywood is general is up and running again. The first movie's ending and mid-credits scene even set the stage for a more video game accurate sequel, complete with beloved Sonic characters like Tails and Knuckles (not to mention, Dr. Robotnik with his famous Eggman look). In the meantime, Sonic the Hedgehog fans can look forward to enjoying his big screen adventure from the comfort of their home while they're quarantining, complete with all the playful action, zany comedy, and Olive Garden plugs one could, er, ask for.
Source: Paramount