Sonic the Hedgehog Cinematic Universe Thread (& Knuckles)

Jokes =/= not taking itself seriously , not like Toy Story movies are super serious without jokes, weird distinction to make honestly, in the end they are all movies aimed for families, it didn't cross the 1 billion mark cause the whole world wanted a serious movie and it would flop if it had more jokes

In fact we DO have a toy story movie that took itself super seriously ( Lightyear ) and it pretty much flopped compared to the rest of toy story movies

 

My point was more than the Sonic movies have a level of inherent immaturity to them that many grown adults have no interest in going to see by themselves. Or they would have been doing so already (Sonic 2 is not a covid era film and Shadow will add 200 million to the box office at most...which then is 600 million)

Meanwhile Pixar movies , and if you didn't understand the context of the conversation I was talking about Pixar movies that hit the billion dollar club Toy Story 3, Incredible 2, Finding Dory, Inside Out 2. All of them were fun movies that are of EXCELLENT quality and considered to be up there with the best live action films, that ultimately take THEMSELVES seriously. They don't interrupt the movie for a 20 minute wedding sub plot that has nothing to do with the rest of the movie.

Regardless, the biggest point I made was that movies that hit the billion dollar club to be either extremely great or from a franchise that has a lot of goodwill (still see articles about Shadow Generations mentioning how bad 06 and the meta era were) and Sonic has neither.

There's no precedent for a movie of a franchise aimed at children, that does not have a lot of overall goodwill, having a billion dollar movie. Especially when the last only made 400 million.

Maybe it's just because I don't understand why it's either a billion or it's a failure feeling a lot of people are going on about on the internet, despite it being a long shot.

I don't see anything wrong with it crossing the realistic mark of 600 million. That's still way more money than most movies will ever make. And it's something to be proud of. But a billion isn't happening.

 

I'm not advocating that Sonic 3 is going to make it to a billion easy. I'm saying if Paramount had ambitions of hitting that billion milestone, they would need to push the film out much further. But chasing after the Billion milestone is a fools errand. Only 55 films have hit that mark, and 60% of them are Disney. Hell, 9 out of the 10 films are Disney*. Disney and Marvel movies have given every Xitter poster brain rot where if your film isn't a mega hit, it's a flop. However, film studios aren't making the argument against this easier when they invest a ridiculous amount of money to deliver a mid movie.
*lol Fox

The Sonic films have built up the good will among family audiences to push this entry higher. Not $1 billion high, I don't think it will hit that, but it should be able to clear the $500m milestone. Personally speaking, I think without Mufasa at play, it could have hit $750m. With Mufasa out of the picture, Paramount would have had access to extra revenue that IMAX screens generate. Disney will absolutely be bullying exhibitors to giving Mufasa priority over Sonic 3. That's a good chunk of money wiped out.

The real mystery here though is the international market. Sonic 1's international numbers were crippled by the pandemic, and its legs were shot in the domestic market by the lockdown. Sonic 2's opened just a few markets less than Sonic 1 and there was that whole silly little war that broke out 2 months before its release. Sonic 1 saw a limited release in China during the pandemic in 2020. Sonic 2 just straight up skipped China. It will be interesting to see if Sonic 3 gets released over there and see how that performs.

Sonic 4 is absolutely happening. Whoever buys Paramount is buying a film studio, and Sonic is one of their only remaining cash cows with good will. People are tired of Transformers and they killed Turtles.

 

Yet many adults did, again weird metric, Minions crossed the billion mark and it's very childish and immature and not taking itself seriously, same can be said about Mario movie in fact

Not arguing Sonic 3 gonna cross the 1 billion mark btw, but i just find it weird to argue that the cause of a bigger reach for movies are some kind of maturity and taking itself seriously and all that

and Deadpool 3 just crossed that a little while ago and he is the most immature superhero there is -despite the R rating-, all kind of immature jokes are there, there was even the marketing of Deadpool Butt Xbox controller

So to say, removing butt jokes won't magically make a movie more appealing or it the difference between 600M and 1B, that's not just how any of this works.

 

On the flip, I have no interest in those Pixar movies. The interest I have in these Sonic movies is, like, microscopically more.

 

Perhaps you're right, they really don't have any momentum anywhere else.

 

Paramount will continue to make Sonic movies until the Sonic movies stop being profitable.

I do wonder what that'd do for 4, though. 1, 2, and 3 were the obvious picks.

Maybe they'll do Black Knight. LOL

EDIT: I'll say I don't think the movie will hit 1 billion, but I think it'll do well. Better than Movie 2.

Are people actually really hyped for this Mufasa movie? Like, people like Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story movies, but his spinoff flopped... why do we expect this to be any different? Was anyone asking for the Mufasa movie? I'm not saying Mufasa is gonna flop; I just don't know if it's gonna be this huge juggernaut people are thinking it will be.

Like, these movies are driven by kids, right? I'd wager Sonic has better name recognition than Mufasa among kids... but IDK.

 

Some people just really don't know what they're taking about. Like, at all.

 

I mentioned the joke about Eggman wiping his butt to point out that the Sonic movies are immature and not movies that many adults go to see on their own. Which can be supported by the decent box office that's average for a SUCCESSFUL FAMILY film.

Then I made it clear that it wasn't even a major talking point in my next paragraph because the Sonic movies have never been regarded in a way that have billion dollar potential or have fan goodwill for billion dollar potential, based on the reviews and box office of the precious films.

You ever hear of the phrase "There's a right place and time for everything"? People watch rhe Deadpool movies for the irreverent humor and not being afraid to "go there". I did not go to a Sonic movie for Chili Dog Fart jokes and can't think of anyone who did.

Deadpool 3 made a billion dollars because it was the finale of Fox Xmen universe, brought Deadpool into the MCU, and had Hugh Jackson returning as Wolverine after it was long thought he was done with the role. If not for those things it would have made around the as the others, which is a LOT of money, but not a billion.

The Minions are a very popular franchise amongst both children and adults, my grandmother and aunts still share Minions memes on Facebook, many adults went to see Minions without children. Sonic would have made way more than 400 million for its second installment if it had a huge adult audience.

Anyways nothing you said changes my points. Not movies that have different context and circumstances which you failed to mention. And especially not comparing an R rated movie starring two of the biggest superheroes of all time (that both had standalone movies that grossed 700+).

Sonic 3 does not seem like the step up in quality it would need to bridge a huge gap between 400 million to 1 billion dollars nor does it have any interesting hooks or gimmicks that will push it that far.

 

People keep knocking on the Disney Live action movies on social media, but they consistently continue to make bank. Nostalgia is a hell of a drug.

As for Lightyear, that's a movie nobody wanted. It's a spin off to Toy Story, but it's not actually about the toy. The lead character is a fictional version of an already fictional character and they're being voiced by a completely different actor than the one that made the character. The marketing for that film was also confusing as fuck because Disney and Pixar had no idea how to pitch this movie to audiences. "It's the movie that Andy saw that made him a fan of Buzz Lightyear and it's why he bought the Buzz Lightyear toy that led to the events of the Toy Story movies!". Not a very good marketing hook, and after watching the film you realize that Andy watches schlock and now know why Al's Toy Barn had a bunch of shelf warming Buzz toys. There's also the whole issue with a 5 second scene that dominated the press cycle for the film and nuking the film's reputation among certain family audiences.

What's working against Mufasa is that it's a prequel spin off movie about a dead guy. How much people actually care about Mufasa is up in the air. They're plastering The Lion King on the title so that audiences are aware that this is a Lion King movie so that's going to be doing the heavy lifting. The best Disney Live action comp we have to go with post pandemic is Cruella. That did a good amount of $233m for a 2021 release. 101 Dalmations isn't exactly Lion King levels of popularity, but it's the closest comp we have post pandemic. Pre-Pandemic we have the first Maleficent in 2014 which grossed $758m followed by Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in 2019 which came in lower at $491m. Once we get closer to the release date and see the marketing ramp up and the pre-sale numbers come in, we should start getting a clearer picture of which way Mufasa is going to go. From my years of working in the exhibition space though, I've learned to never doubt James Cameron or the Mouse.

 

It does?

 

He uses the bathroom and it has no toilet paper so he uses a bit of agent stones suit to wipe his butt.

 

That wasn't the joke. He doesn't fit in his suit. Stone says he doesn't have the materials. Robotnik rips his shirt and tells him he found some.

 

Well that... isn't what happens at all. He goes into the stall to get on his coat, comes out after it doesn't fit and says "I need room" because he's gained weight since last time. Stone says he doesn't have the proper materials so Ivo rips off his shirt and says "found some".
I have frankly no idea how you arrived at that interpretation.

 

That is the best misinterpretation ever lol. I don't think the Sonic movies would ever get that crass in their humour.

 

I dunno. The scene in the first one where Sonic jacked off that horse cemented the movies' tone for me.

 

I did not know it was a James Cameron movie; him plus Disney is a deadly combo.

EDIT: It's not a James Cameron movie; I stand corrected.

 

It's not. I'm just saying never bet against Jim. That guy is a beast