Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Digital Release Will Arrive Very Early

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie that finally hit theaters in mid-February following a redesign of its animated star, will be arriving on digital video much earlier than anticipated. According to Paramount Pictures, the movie will be available to purchase as digital video platforms like Prime Video and iTunes the end of this month. This is the latest movie to get an early digital release.

The news was first reported by Variety, which reported late on Friday that Paramount will release Sonic the Hedgehog on digital video on March 31. This is only a bit over one month since the movie hit theaters and the decision was likely made in light of the ongoing quarantines in place across the US.

Sonic the Hedgehog was surprisingly successful despite the initial terrible Sonic design and the decision to redesign it. The movie's theatrical release came only a few weeks before cities around the US started warning the public to isolate themselves — in many places, the public is ordered to stay home unless they are working at an essential service like a hospital or grocery store.

This isn't the first movie to receive an early digital release this month. Last week, Disney released the latest Star Wars movie The Rise of Skywalker early on digital video, making it available to the many people who are now stuck at home and watching more movies than usual. As with other digital videos, it is available on iTunes, Prime Video, Vudu, and similar platforms, but only to purchase at this time.

While some movies have been released early on video, others have had their theatrical premieres delayed in light of the coronavirus outbreaks. A Quiet Place 2 was originally scheduled to premiere in theaters this month, for example, but Paramount made the decision to indefinitely postpone the premiere due to widespread theatrical closures and a decrease of traffic in theaters that remain open.