Sonic The Hedgehog 3’s Record-Setting Rotten Tomatoes Score Addressed By Franchise Writers

Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s Rotten Tomatoes score is addressed by the franchise writers. Released on December 20, the video game adaptation film is the third film in Paramount’s modern Sonic franchise. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has already been confirmed, which will continue the story of Sonic, Shadow, and more beyond the events of the second movie. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 had a moderate box office opening, raking in just over $60 million during its first weekend. It continues to play in theaters, competing against Mufasa: The Lion King and returning favorites such as Moana 2.

In an exclusive interview with ScreenRant, Sonic writers Joel Miller and Pat Casey react to the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes score. When making Sonic the Hedgehog 3, the pair joked that they recognized the similarities between Shadow and “a certain dark doppelganger from another superhero franchise part 3,” referencing Spider-Man 3. They worried that there was a “curse involved” to third movies. But, they seemed pleasantly surprised at Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s Rotten Tomatoes trend. Check out the full quotes from Miller and Casey below:

Josh Miller: Pretty great. It’s not like it’s unprecedented, but for three movies into a series, to have the general fan consensus seem to be that they just keep getting better?

Pat Casey: Yeah, third movies and trilogies, there’s been a bit of a curse involved, with pretty rare exceptions.

Josh Miller: I think we all joked a lot about that at the beginning of like, “Uh oh, here we go.” [Laughs] Especially if you compare, say, the similarities between Shadow and a certain dark doppelganger from another superhero franchise part 3 that fans were not quite as excited with when it came out.

Pat Casey: Should we have had a scene of just Sonic walking around, being a jerk and dancing like a moron?

Josh Miller: Emo Sonic. [Laughs] I think it actually would’ve really fit well in Sonic 3.

What This Means For Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Sonic 3 Is The Best In The Franchise

Casey and Miller are referencing the fact that Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s reviews have become the best in the trilogy. It is the highest in terms of both the critics’ Tomatometer and the audience’s Popcornmeter, scoring an 88% and 97%, respectively. This also makes the threequel the only Sonic the Hedgehog movie to be Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a notable achievement for any film. For Miller and Casey, this means that they avoided the fated “being a jerk and dancing like a moron” threequel protagonist curse.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s positive critical perception could help its longer-term momentum at the box office. The movie did not have as big of an opening as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which brought in $72.1 million overall. However, the number to beat overall would be $405.4 million worldwide lifetime gross if the third film is also to become the highest-grossing movie in the Sonic franchise. With weeks in theaters still to go and the January release calendar generally slow, Sonic 3 could have a chance to reach these heights.

Our Take On Sonic 3’s Rotten Tomatoes Score

Sonic 4 Has To Do Well Too

While the Sonic 3 Rotten Tomatoes score is positive in the short-term, it puts a lot of pressure on the team when it comes to Sonic the Hedgehog 4. With a 97% audience Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes, Sonic 4‘s scores cannot get much higher from here. Hopefully, the fourth movie can provide enough variation and excitement to keep audiences loving this franchise for another installment.