Sonic the Hedgehog is out now in theaters and is performing way ahead of expectations. It may even earn the best opening for a video game adaption ever, beating out Detective Pikachu's record. With success seemingly guaranteed at this point, some are already looking to the future. Sonic the Hedgehog's director has already gone to Twitter to send a message of excitement to fans. Jeff Fowler said Friday evening that "the future is VERY bright for the BLUE BLUR."
"What... A... DAY!!!" Is how Fowler's tweet started. Early numbers has Sonic the Hedgehog bringing in $3 million opening night. For comparison, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World brought in $3 million on its opening night and then brought in $55 million over its opening weekend. Detective Pikachu set the video game adaptation record with a $58 million weekend. In so many words, it's a great start for Sonic the Hedgehog.
Fowler's tweet continues, thanking fans for their "LOVE and SUPPORT." "You've taken this little blue hedgehog to EPIC heights. We never could have done it without the FANS," is Fowler's message to Sonic the Hedgehog players across the world who are have checked out the new movie or will soon.
As for what exactly Fowler's message about Sonic's future means, it's probably best not to read too much into it. Fowler can both acknowledge that such a great opening weekend for Sonic the Hedgehog is likely to lead to future opportunities while also having no forward knowledge about such opportunities.
That said, if Sonic the Hedgehog does match Detective Pikachu's opening weekend, a quick sequel is all but guaranteed. A Detective Pikachu sequel is already in development with, coincidentally, one of Sonic the Hedgehog's writers penning the script. That movie is speculated to be released in 2022, three years after Detective Pikachu's release. Any potential Sonic the Hedgehog sequel would likely be on a similar 3-year schedule.
Sequel or not, the Sonic the Hedgehog team appears to have created something special for Sonic fans. The movie's Rotten Tomatoes score is hovering around the low 60s, showing that critics have a mixed but generally positive reaction. However, Sonic the Hedgehog's audience score is a surprising 95% with over 2,500 reviews submitted. Sonic fans are turning out and they are fans of what's been made for them. Now if Sega could put together a new Sonic game that's great, too.
Sonic the Hedgehog is in theaters now.