Originally scheduled to release on February 21, 2020, in China, the Sonic the Hedgehog film has been delayed due to fears of the spreading coronavirus. Many of the region’s movie theaters have temporarily closed following the spread of the disease and the film will now release at an unspecified time in the future.
Speaking with Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures explained:
Due to the current coronavirus situation, the China release date of the film Sonic the Hedgehog will be postponed, and we will re-announce the new release date at a later time. Sonic will only be slowing down his pace temporarily, and we look forward to bringing him zooming onto the big screen in China once it is appropriate to do so.
As the whole country and world unite together to fight the outbreak of coronavirus, we would like to express our gratitude and respect to all the medical staff, the rescue personnel, and people in service who provide us with much-needed assistance and support during this time.
It’s unclear when the film will launch in China, but Paramount assured the community the blue hedgehog will make his silver screen debut “when it is appropriate to do so.”
In North America, Sonic the Hedgehog had the biggest opening for a video game film in history, earning $57 million during its opening weekend. Critically, the film has done moderately well and currently holds a 63%-Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Coronavirus has also caused major video game companies to limit their presence at various conventions including the upcoming PAX East and Game Developers Conference. Companies affected include Sony, CD Projekt RED, Capcom, Square Enix, and Electronic Arts, all of which have decided to play it safe in response to the deadly disease. There’s also speculation coronavirus could impact the release dates of the upcoming next-generation consoles, PS5 and Xbox Series X.
[Source: Hollywood Reporter]
