'Sonic The Hedgehog 3' boasts among the finest audience ratings in the cinematic releases of 2024.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set to lead this weekend's box office before Christmas, not just as a commercial success, but also a critically and popularly acclaimed film.
The feedback is flooding in, and Sonic 3 has an impressive 98% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the highest-rated films of the year, sharing this feat with other animated movies like Transformers: Bumblebee and The Iron Giant, both of which also boast 98% scores. Furthermore, it has a telling 85% critic rating. Let's see how the films stack up:
- Sonic the Hedgehog – 64% critic score, 93% audience score
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – 69% critic score, 96% audience score
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – 85% critic score, 98% audience score.
Despite the typical pitfalls of third films in a trilogy, Sonic has managed to defy the odds, and this is the most critically acclaimed movie to date in all aspects. As for its box office potential, the initial film earned $319 million globally, justifying a sequel. The second film saw an improvement, grossing $405 million. If this trend continues, we could be looking at half a billion dollars for the third film, leading to potentially more films in the franchise. Sonic 3 is projected to open with around $70 million this weekend, surpassing its predecessor and approaching the level of its second installment.
Sonic 3 has reunited its original stars James Marsden and Ben Schwartz as Sonic, while Idris Elba returns as Knuckles from the previous film. Newcomer Keanu Reeves plays the famous Shadow the Hedgehog, and early reports suggest this has been a successful addition. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but the trailers look fantastic, and it seems like everything has come together quite nicely.

The first Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the pioneering video game adaptations to dispel myths about poor adaptations in the modern era. The entire Sonic film series has been successful, with Super Mario Bros. being another notable hit. The live-action and animated video game shows like The Last of Us, Fallout, Arcane, Cyberpunk 2077, and Castlevania have also been impressive. The Castlevania series really kicked off this trend in 2017, but Sonic's massive success in 2020 elevated it to a different level.
We'll see what Sonic 4 has in store for us in a few months, hopefully...
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The overwhelming positive response towards Sonic 3 is evident with its impressive 98% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, equaling the scores of critically acclaimed films like Transformers: Bumblebee and The Iron Giant. This third installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, is set to lead the weekend box office before Christmas, aiming to surpass the earnings of its predecessors.