Sonic The Hedgehog 3 will now go up against Avatar 3 in theaters
December 2024 is shaping up to be a battle of the blue creatures in the box office
December 20, 2024 will be a good day to see the third installment of two movie franchises featuring some blue creatures, with Sonic The Hedgehog 3 now premiering on the same day as James Cameron’s Avatar 3.
With this release date announcement, Sonic bumps some other blue creature’s feature back, as the untitled Smurfs movie musical will now debut in theaters on February 14, 2025, after being unceremoniously booted from the video game hedgehog’s official slot. We could have had a double feature showcasing blue humanoid creatures, but noooooo, let Sonic have his shot at dethroning Avatar.
Sonic The Hedgehog announced its holiday release on Twitter last night, with Ben Schwartz confirming his return as the speedy hedgehog. In a tweet, Schwartz writes, “HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! #SonicMovie3 IS COMING TO THEATRES ON DECEMBER 20, 2024!!! AHHH!!!”
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 premiered earlier this year, outperforming its successor in box offices with $400 grossed worldwide, making it the top performing video game film of all time in the United States. Colleen O’Shaughnessey and Idris Elba joined the sequel as Sonic’s friends Tails and Knuckles, and it’s a solid bet the two will return for the third film, especially with Elba leading his own Knuckles spin-off.
The second installment in James Cameron’s Avatar universe, Avatar: The Way Of Water, will makes a splash on December 16 of this year ahead of 2024's third installment. The three films are a part of a much longer release calendar, with a fourth and fifth movie arriving by 2027. Buckle up: The onslaught of Avatar film news has only just begun.
The Smurfs will now have to wait until 2025 to make their musical debut, eight years after appearing in Sony’s Smurfs: The Lost Village in 2017. No casting or plot details have been shared for the film just yet, and who knows who they will end up facing in the box office, but god forbid it feature even another kind of blue creature.