Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has finally raced its way onto Paramount Plus, and I'm gutted that I won't be able to stream it

• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has finally made its streaming debut on Paramount Plus
• The hit video game film series' latest entry landed on the platform today (February 18)
• However, it's only available in the US and Canada

Sonic the Hedgehog loves telling himself that he's "gotta go fast" – and it seems that phrase applies to the speed with which movies land on Paramount Plus.

Indeed, less than two months have passed since Sonic the Hedgehog 3 raced into theaters, but the latest entry in the blue blur's film series is already available to watch on one of the world's best streaming services. That's right, you can watch Sonic's third big-screen outing from the comfort of your own home as of today (February 18), which Paramount confirmed on X/Twitter yesterday.

Unfortunately, it seems that Sonic 3 hasn't launched on Paramount's streaming platform outside of North America, with Deadline reporting that it's only available to watch in the US and Canada right now. I checked Paramount Plus UK's film library this morning and Sonic the Hedgehog 1 is the only film you can watch on British shores. The same appears to be true in Australia as well.

Responding to my inquiry about when British and Australian viewers can watch it at home, a Paramount spokesperson said: "Sonic 3 will only be available in the US and Canada. It will also come soon to the UK and Australia, but we haven't set a date yet". Sounds like we've got a long wait on our hands, then.

Is Sonic the Hedgehog 3 worth streaming?

Yes! Sonic 3 was one of the last new movies to speed into theaters worldwide in 2024. Its festive seasonal release helped it to become the highest-grossing entry in the Sega mascot's film franchise so far, with the live-action-animated hybrid flick earning $478.5 million globally. For context, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 earned $405 million in early 2022, while the first movie accumulated around $320 million in early 2020.

The Sonic movie series has improved with each passing entry, too. Sonic 3 currently holds 85% critical and 95% audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes – and, while the dial hasn't moved that much from an audience perspective (Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 hold 93% and 96% RT scores), they have from a critical acclaim standpoint. Indeed, Sonic 3's critical rating is almost 20% higher than its forebear and over 30% greater than Sonic's first film. Don't be surprised, then, if one or more of these flicks make it onto our best Paramount Plus movies list in the near future.

It's rare that film franchises continually improve with every movie release, so how have the Sonic flicks been able to do so? Well, they're consistently fun, family-friendly films that Sonic devotees and newcomers alike can enjoy. The introduction of fan-favorite characters with each new entry – Tails and Knuckles showed up in Sonic 2, while the Keanu Reeves-voiced Shadow made his debut in Sonic 3 – have also helped. Add in supplemental material that have expanded this universe, such as Knuckles' TV spin-off, which is one of the best Paramount Plus shows, and Paramount's adaptation of the beloved Sonic video game series is going from strength to strength.

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