The Blue Hedgehog that many 2D platformer enthusiasts are familiar with has hit hard times in a huge majority of his 21st-century releases. There's a reason many fell in love with the Sonic series to begin with, including its tight gameplay and exhilarating speed compared to other platformers of the day. To some, the modern games just haven't been up to snuff, failing to capture the momentum of the older titles. But despite the series' alleged fall, it may now be on the mend thanks to the recently released Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
Sonic the Hedgehog, released on Valentine's Day, has been nothing short of a resounding success. Raking in $57 million within its first three days of release in the U.S. Box office, and later surpassing the $100 million in revenue, its success has sent a message to Hollywood about moviegoers' readiness for more video game movies. Whether that's a good thing or not, the Sonic movie was viewed as mediocre-to-good by most viewers. While its plot often played it safe, it was a fun action film that understood the concepts of Sonic the Hedgehog and wisely utilized Jim Carrey's silly antics.
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This is in stark juxtaposition to the string of failures experienced by the Sonic game series in recent times. Aside from hits like Sonic Mania that hearken back to the beloved Sonic the Hedgehog formula, Sonic has often been relegated to participating in various Olympic events with a certain mustached plumber or racing against his pals in middle-of-the-road titles. This doesn't discount his animated series and other spin-offs that have kept the Sonic franchise running over the years. All in all, his heyday has been overshadowed (no pun intended) by the flops of recent.
Yet, the Sonic movie is shaking things up. Its success over that of the Sonic games released in recent years says that consumers might be ready for more Sonic content. While a movie sequel is certainly likely, there may be content in classic Sonic game releases that harken back to the 2D platforming of the early 90s. Or, perhaps Sonic Team will give another shot at a 3D Sonic game with refined 3D platforming. Whether it's in the form of a brand-new journey or a remake of, for instance, Sonic Adventure, the movie may inspire Sega to take the series into hyperspeed, though hopefully for better.
The Sonic series is beloved by many fans of all ages, and the new movie may be inspiration for more Sonic content to come. If we're lucky, it will come in the form of new Sonic experiences reminiscent of that of the first time playing a classic Sonic game.