Sonic the Hedgehog’s Jim Carrey on the Initial Trailer Backlash: “I Think It Turned Out to Be a Great Thing”

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie is, it’s safe to say, something of a success story at this point. The film is estimated to open at over $100 million worldwide, and while not a runaway box office hit, it’s enough for it break records for video game adaptations. But there were some questions as to whether it would be successful after the initial trailer released last year to widespread negative reactions from fans. And yet, here we are, and the redesign after said backlash appears to have been successful. In fact, before the movie premiered, it seems like Dr. Robotnik himself, Jim Carrey, was saying that he thought the initial trailer backlash turned out to be a great thing.

“I think it turned out to be a great thing. I think It turned out to be a co-op where everybody was in on the creation,” Carrey said, according to Fox News. “I think everybody felt good about it ultimately because [director] Jeff Fowler [had] no ego involved at all. He just went, ‘These people grew up with it, and it’s important to them that we get it right.’ And I think it was just a much better movie because of it.”

Overall, it’s a much more positive answer than Carrey had given previously about the redesign. “I don’t know quite how I feel about the audience being in on the creation of it, while it’s happening,” he said at one point last year. “You become a Frankenstein’s monster at some point right? I don’t really concern myself with things once I did my thing. I’m not super concerned about it. It’s gonna happen how it happens. It’s either going to be a good thing or a bad thing.”

Have you had a chance to see the Sonic the Hedgehog movie yet? Do you think the redesign helped? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

Here’s how Paramount Pictures describes the film:

“Based on the global blockbuster videogame franchise from Sega, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG tells the story of the world’s speediest hedgehog as he embraces his new home on Earth. In this live-action adventure comedy, Sonic and his new best friend Tom (James Marsden) team up to defend the planet from the evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his plans for world domination. The family-friendly film also stars Tika Sumpter and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic.”

Sonic the Hedgehog is now in theaters. The film stars Ben Schwartz as the voice of the eponymous hedgehog, James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, a police officer that befriends Sonic, and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, the franchise’s classic villain and scientist. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the film right here.