Sonic 2 Gets A Surprisingly Fast Streaming Release Date
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will now hit streaming faster than some were originally expecting marking just another quick turnaround for a movie
In the new world order of streaming platforms and services overlapping with theatrical releases (or at least putting them up on the big screen), gone are days of your typical windows of months and months until a movie hit the small screen. Such is the case with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 which will actually hit streaming on Paramount+ much earlier than originally expected. Because Paramount controls the movie, and because they have their own streamer, the situation becomes pretty easy and fluid. That means fans of the blue speedster will now get to see him in their own homes before the end of the month. That’s right, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will come to Paramount+ tomorrow, May 24th.
The release on Paramount+ comes 45 days after Sonic the Hedgehog 2 originally hit theaters. 45 days is starting to pick up in popularity among studios that also have the ability to put the flick on their own platform. That was far from the case for the last decades, but streaming has changed the equation considerably with houses no longer willing to wait when they can have fans flocking to a platform to catch a popular character that was just recently in theaters. That will be the case with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 which is coming off a successful theatrical run.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was able to actually beat out the first movie at the box office, earning $375 million dollars to date compared the Sonic the Hedgehog’s $319 million. The latter film was stymied just a bit at the box office seeing as how it originally came out in mid-February 2020, right before the world would fall into the grips of the Covid-19 pandemic. The sequel had no such issues and turned a tidy profit on its roughly $100 million budget. With some snappy dialogue plus a likable, and rather time-honored main character, it’s easy to see why this has worked.
And it didn’t just beat out the original at the box office either. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 also slid past the first movie in the eyes of the critics as well. It’s currently sitting at 69% on Rotten Tomatoes with reviews complimentary about how the sequel brought in elements from the game, staying a bit more true to the source material than we got the first time around. In addition to a more classic look for Jim Carrey’s Doctor Robotnik, we also got a chance to see Knuckles the Echidna, a fan favorite and adversary of Sonic. Idris Elba voiced that character. He is going to get a solo spin-off series as well which will be airing on Paramount+ also.
Plus, not to worry because Sonic the Hedgehog 2 won’t be the end of the line for the titular character. There is already a Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in the works with Paramount clearly all-in on building out a major franchise of shows and movies around this dude and the world. There isn’t currently a firm timeline around when that will release in theaters. But again, we are only 45 days out from the second one even hitting the big screen. And the quick turnaround onto streaming fans is definitely welcome news.
