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The success of the Sonic the Hedgehog film adaptation is pretty apparent right now, even though current events kind of put a damper on what could have been an even bigger hit. Thankfully, the 2020 film’s favorable run with fans and critics alike worked well enough to have one specific effect on the franchise. As it turns out, Sonic has become a bit of a hot commodity yet again.
At least that’s the impression Sega of America’s Chief Brand Officer, Ivo Gerscovich, seemed to impart during a Reddit AMA. When asked how the movie had impacted the Sonic brand overall, Gerscovich laid down the state of the series as follows:
The team and I have been building the Sonic brand over the last five years and what may have been 'headwinds' initially when the new team was formed are turning to 'tailwinds' (strong support). From the inside, working on a brand that was viewed as 'nostalgic' previously that has become very 'relevant' is like pushing on a big snowball ball to help it gain speed and then it starts picking up momentum and starts rolling faster and faster--and then suddenly it's about just trying to keep up.
Before the Sonic the Hedgehog movie was released into theaters, there was a hard, skeptical road the film would have to travel down. With a huge character redesign prompting a delayed release, and an overall lack of confidence in the movie’s early trailer, it looked like director Jeff Fowler’s big video game adaptation might end up being another failed attempt to make what worked on the console into a blockbuster cinematic experience.
And then, the fans came into the picture. Sonic the Hedgehog not only looked more like himself in the post-redesign advertisements, but the movie also seemed to get a lot of mojo because of it. Flash forward to now, and even in an abbreviated theatrical run, the James Marsden and Ben Schwartz-led buddy comedy made some serious history.
With great success comes great demand, as the buzz surrounding a potential Sonic the Hedgehog 2 started to settle into a steady clip. In turn, the video game franchise that inspired this particular film is going to become a hotter prospect as well. And if you thought fans were skeptical about the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, you should read into some of the history behind the video games that have been made throughout decades of console gaming history.
The Sonic the Hedgehog fandom turned its native franchise from a dormant brand destined for cinematic failure into a modestly successful picture that has now reignited an old favorite. There’s a very thin line between nostalgia and relevance, and all it took was a movie made from the heart to speed across that very crucial border.
Sonic The Hedgehog is currently available on Digital HD, as well as in the physical formats of 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD. So if you’re looking to see what everyone’s getting revved up about, now’s probably a good time.
