sb.scorecardresearch

Published 17:03 IST, February 25th 2020

'Sonic the Hedgehog' release date delayed in China over Coronavirus concerns

According to the latest reports, the Chinese release of the Sonic the Hedgehog film has been pushed back due to concerns over the Coronavirus epidemic.

Reported by: Siddharth Iyer
Follow: Google News Icon
  • share
Sonic the Hedgehog
null | Image: self

The recently released Sonic the Hedgehog film is not only loved by fans and critics alike, but it is also one of the highest-grossing films of February 2020. Starring Jim Carrey, James Marsden and Ben Schwartz (as the voice of Sonic), the film hit theatres across the globe on February 14, 2020.

However, Sonic the Hedgehog has not yet made its premiere in China, which is one of the biggest sources of revenue for Hollywood flicks. The movie was set to release in the country on February 28, 2020. But due to concerns over the Coronavirus outbreak in China, Paramount has now decided to push back the release date even further. 

'Sonic the Hedgehog' movie delayed in china due to Coronavirus concerns

Also Read | Coronavirus a 'game changer' for globalisation: French minister

Sonic the Hedgehog is based on the massively popular video game character of the same name, who is also the mascot of Sega. Initially, it received a huge amount of fan backlash after the release of its first trailer. Many fans disliked the CGI design of Sonic and said that they would boycott the film unless the studio revamped the design. Paramount then delayed the film to rework the character's CGI design and finally released the film in February of 2020. 

Also Read | 'Sonic The Hedgehog' Speeds Past $100 Million Mark At Box Office In Its First Weekend

It seems that Paramount's decision to rework Sonic's design worked out in the end, as Sonic the Hedgehog is now being called one of the best video game movies of all time and is currently dominating the box office.

However, Paramount has not yet released their massively popular movie in China. This is due to the Coronavirus epidemic in the country, which has led the government to shut down all public facilities indefinitely, including movie theatres. 

Also Read | Warren Buffett calls coronavirus outbreak 'scary stuff' but expresses optimism over stocks

Reportedly, China currently has over 77,150 cases of Coronavirus and there is no end to it yet. Many films have already delayed their release date in China due to Coronavirus concerns, including the upcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die. Paramount recently released a statement where they revealed that due to the current coronavirus situation, the China release date of the film Sonic the Hedgehog would be postponed. The studio also stated that they would re-announce the new release date at a later time. 

Also Read | Jim Carrey says he enjoyed playing evil genius Dr. Robotnik in 'Sonic the Hedgehog'

Updated 17:03 IST, February 25th 2020