Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Release Date Announced

Paramount Pictures has announced the release date for the next installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Variety reports that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is slated for a March 19, 2027 release. This announcement comes on the heels of the highly successful Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which raked in $218 million domestically and over $420 million globally, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise to date. This surpasses the impressive $148 million earned by the first film, a remarkable feat considering the initial design controversy surrounding the original Sonic character.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 also holds the distinction of being the second highest-grossing video game movie in North America, trailing only the animated Super Mario Bros. Movie, further fueling the long-standing rivalry between Nintendo and Sega on the big screen.

The live-action Sonic universe continues to expand, now encompassing three feature films and a Knuckles-centric spin-off streaming series. The films, based on the beloved Sega video game series, follow Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) as he confronts his arch-nemesis, Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). Each film has progressively introduced more iconic characters from the game, including Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba), with Sonic 3 finally introducing Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves).

While Sonic 3 hinted at the next character joining the franchise, we'll refrain from spoilers here. For a detailed look at new characters and a review of Sonic 3, please refer to our dedicated articles.