TheSonic the Hedgehogmovie franchise has made $1.2 billion across its first three films, butSonic the Hedgehog 4shouldn’t be its biggest priority going forward. The release of the third film in 2024 proved that things are better than ever for the series, and while another sequel is an obvious choice, there is a better path.
While it has been a popular video game franchise since its inception, the release of the firstSonic the Hedgehogmovie in 2020 went a long way in rehabilitating the franchise’s image. Thechanges from the “Ugly Sonic” character designto an updated one proved that the team cared about this project, with the controversy giving the film a lot of attention and turning it into a box office success.
The first film made $320 million, the second made $405 million, and the third made $492 million, proving that things are only getting better. Paramount undoubtedly hopes thatSonic the Hedgehog 4will continuethis pattern of growth, butan alternative film may have been a better guarantee of success.
A Shadow Spinoff Movie Should Be The Sonic Franchise’s Priority
After the success ofSonic 3,a spinoff film about Shadow the Hedgehog should have been the franchise’s priority. The introduction of Shadow is one of the biggest reasons why the third film was such a success, as he is one of the series' most iconic characters. Plus, the addition of Keanu Reeves as Shadow’s voice gave the film another marketable star.
This, combined with the fact that theSonic Adventure 2storyline is one of the franchise’s most iconic, could mean that the box office success of the third film is lightning in a bottle. It will be hard to top the introduction of Shadow and his story, and whilenewcomers Amy Roseand Metal Sonic are cool, they probably won’t have the same draw for general audiences as Shadow.
In order to counteract this harsh reality about the franchise, simply making a spinoff movie about Shadow could have been the best option.Reeves and Shadow the Hedgehog are big enough namesto carry a feature film. Plus, a spinoff would have guaranteed that audiences were getting something fresh, rather than a potential retread of the same stories and jokes for a fourth time.
The live-action series has already proven that it is interested in making spinoffs of newly-introduced characters. After Knuckles' introduction in the second film,Paramount+ released theKnuckesspinoff show. It is an incredibly odd decision to release that series before another sequel, but not a Shadow movie beforeSonic the Hedgehog 4.
It is possible that the lukewarm reception toKnucklesmay have hurt another spinoff’s chances. However, it is hard to deny the influence that Shadow and his story had on the third film, meaning that Paramount’s decision to focus onSonic the Hedgehog 4first may be a mistake.
How A Shadow Spinoff Movie Could Change The Sonic Franchise
Even if it isn’t the next film, aShadow the Hedgehogmovie will probably happen eventually. While nothing has been officially confirmed, there is simply too much potential for Paramount to not do it. After all, this spinoff would change the franchise in some great ways.
AShadow the Hedgehogmoviewould be a lot darker than the mainline movies, which is a good thing. The fan base for the franchise is aging, and the lighthearted tone of the first three movies may not be what audiences are looking for in a few years. If reception toSonic 4is worse than its predecessor,Shadowcould step in and take things in another direction.
A movie about Shadow would also be able to expand on the lore of the franchise. In the games, the Guardian Unit of Nations is an antagonistic force, although they are less evil in the movies.The Shadow movie would probably pit GUN against Shadow in a more significant way, fleshing out their story and making them a more complex entity.
Based on the set-up of Shadow’s origins inSonic 3, it is also very likely thatBlack Doom would be the villain in Shadow’s spinoff film. Black Doom was the main villain of theShadow the Hedgehogvideo game, and this, combined with his tie to Shadow’s story, means that he would almost have to be in a spinoff.
The presence of Black Doom would also fix the series' villain problem. The Robotniks have been the villains of everySonicmovie so far, and it is getting a bit repetitive. While Black Doom would mean that the spinoff has to miss out on Jim Carrey’s marketability, having the alien entity as a villain would be a breath of fresh air.
Finally,aShadowmovie would definitively prove that otherSonicspinoffs can work. There are all kinds of stories to be told within theSonicuniverse, and theShadowmovie is the safest candidate. Its success could lead to Paramount being more confident in other projects, allowing the franchise to expand beyondSonic the Hedgehog 4and other mainline sequels.
