Keith Langston

Sonic is the ultimate hero and the undefeated underdog. He single-handedly saved SEGA in the '90s, and when the first trailer for his live-action 2020 film debuted, it became the center of jokes and memes thanks to Sonic’s terrifyingly real animation. But after the movie received tons of praise from audiences and grossed more than $319 million at the box office, one thing became clear: Sonic is no joke. Check out our guide to find out where you can watch every movie and show in the Sonic Cinematic Universe in order. We'll also show you if there are options to watch Sonic movies legally for free in the United States.

What is the Sonic Cinematic Universe?

A lot of fans are probably wondering what exactly the “Sonic cinematic universe” is. It’s all the films, shows, and shorts that take place in the new live-action era of Sonic. Believe it or not, Sonic has actually had quite a few shows throughout his three decades – like Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Sonic Underground (1999), and Sonic X (2003). So it’s important to differentiate that the new franchise doesn’t include those older entries. 

So, where does the Sonic Cinematic Universe start? That would be with 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, where Sonic uses a golden ring to transport himself to Earth. But once Dr. Robotnik discovers his location, Sonic is forced to escape with the help of his new friend (played excellently by James Marsden).

Thanks to the movie’s success, it was followed by Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in 2022. This time around, Dr. Robotnik is back for revenge and audiences get to see more iconic Sonic characters brought to life like Knuckles and Tails. The mid-credits scene also introduces the villainous Shadow, who is going to play a large role in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 later in 2024…and be voiced by none other than Keanu Reeves.

There’s also the spin-off series Knuckles, which premieres at the end of April. The show centers around Knuckles, who helps the dimwitted town sheriff by teaching him the ways of the echidna warriors. The show has a fantastic cast that includes Hollywood veterans like Christopher Lloyd and Stockard Channing, as well as both Tika Sumpter and Ben Schwartz reprising their roles from the film series. In the franchise’s timeline, Knuckles will fill the gap between Sonic 2 and Sonic 3.

There’s also a non-canonical short film Sonic Drone Home which is technically part of the new Sonic Cinematic Universe as well. The short was released as part of the special features on the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Blu-Ray and follows Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails as they encounter a (somewhat evil) scrapyard robot who loves poetry. Luckily, the short has been uploaded to YouTube for anyone who wants to watch it.

How can I watch the Sonic Cinematic Universe online?

You can find out where to watch every entry in the Sonic Cinematic Universe using our guide below. This includes every official entry into the live action Sonic movie series in release order, and every streaming option currently available to viewers in the United States.

In 2012, Hotel Transylvania became an unexpected hit film. Released at the end of September (one of the worst months for cinemas), the movie ended up grossing over $358 million globally. Since then, three more films and a TV series have been released in the franchise. Check out our guide below to find out where to watch the entire Hotel Transylvania franchise in order.

The original Hotel Transylvania film starred a huge array of Saturday Night Live alums, like Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Molly Shannon, along with other big names like Selena Gomez. The movie centers around a monsters-only hotel in Transylvania run by the vampire (and overprotective single-father), Count Dracula. But everything changes when Johnny, a human, checks into the hotel, unaware of who inhabits it. Things go even more awry when he starts to fall in love with Dracula’s daughter.

Then, in 2015 the sequel Hotel Transylvania 2 began by showing that Johnny and Dracula’s daughter Mavis got married and had a baby. But, questions arise about whether the baby will be a vampire or a human. The entire original cast returned for the sequel, and more comedic actors joined in on the fun too, like Mel Brooks, Nick Offerman, and Megan Mullally. The movie became an even bigger hit than the original, grossing more than $474 million globally.

From 2017-2020, there was also Hotel Transylvania: The Series. The show is actually a prequel to the first movie and follows a younger Mavis who has adventures throughout the hotel with her friends. The animated series had a different voice cast from the films and ran for 52 episodes. For hardcore fans of the franchise it’s a fun addition to watch, but seeing the show isn’t necessary to enjoy the films.

In Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, the gang desperately needs a vacation, so they book a cruise. Little do they know, the infamous vampire hunter Van Helsing is onboard along with his great-granddaughter Ericka. But, despite the Van Helsings' desire to kill Dracula… Ericka finds herself falling in love. Once again, the entire main cast reprised their roles, this time joined by newcomers like Chrissy Teigen and Kathryn Hahn.

The fourth film, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, was released as an Amazon Prime exclusive in 2022. True to the movie’s title, this time around all the humans become monsters and vice versa. The only way for Johnny and Dracula to turn back to their old selves is to finally love each other and see each other as family.

Currently, there’s no news about a potential fifth film (though there are a bunch of fake fan-made trailers on YouTube). Hopefully fans will get a fifth installment, but until then, check out our guide below to find out where you can stream all four Hotel Transylvania movies and the prequel series.

Just in time for the upcoming release of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, check out our guide below to find out where you can watch every Mad Max movie in order (and discover whether the saga actually has a chronological order or not).

The first Mad Max film premiered in 1979 and was set in a near-future dystopian Australia where society has collapsed due to oil shortages and widespread ecocide. Max Rockatansky works for the only remaining law enforcement agency in the country, the Main Force Patrol, and he’s tasked with roaming the wasteland to hopefully bring as much justice as he can.

The sequel Mad Max 2, released two years later in 1981, sees Max discover a small community living in a village built around a working oil rig. After noticing the village is constantly attacked, he tries to strike a deal: protect them in exchange for fuel.

The third film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome has become arguably the most iconic. It starred Tina Turner as Aunty Entity, the leader of Bartertown, an outpost that gets its power from an underground refinery. But the ruler of the underworld wants to overthrow Entity…so she enlists Max to help take down her rival.

The franchise went dormant until 2015 when Mad Max: Fury Road premiered to rave reviews. This time around, Max is played by Tom Hardy and he joins forces with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) who seeks to free a group of imprisoned “wives” and lead them to freedom.

Mad Max director George Miller has never been clear on whether Fury Road is a sequel or a reboot. “Well, they’re not really connected in any very strict way,” Miller told Den of Geek in 2015. “They were all standalone films in many, many ways.”

What we do know is that the upcoming Furiosa is a prequel to Fury Road and portrays a younger Imperator Furiosa, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. However, it seems that aside from knowing it’s a prequel to Fury Road, where or how the two films fit in with the original trilogy remains a mystery. But the most likely order to watch the movies chronologically would be the following.

How to watch the Mad Max franchise in chronological order

• Mad Max (1979)
• Max Mad 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
• Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

There’s also another Mad Max sequel in the works titled Mad Max: The Wasteland. The film is still in the early stages of development, but it appears to be a sequel to Fury Road and will see Hardy reprise his role. Until then, check out our guide below to find out where to stream every Mad Max movie so far.

Aca-scuse me? If you’re looking to watch the three Pitch Perfect movies and their spin-off series Bumper in Berlin, check out our guide below to find out where you can stream them all. 

Pitch Perfect premiered in 2012 and was somewhat of a sleeper hit. The film centered around a struggling college acapella group, the Barden Bellas, who hilariously struggle to return their group to its former glory. It starred Anna Kendrick in what many consider her career-defining role, as well as Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, and Rebel Wilson in her breakout role. Pitch Perfect initially had a limited release, followed by a wide release the following week.

Thanks to social media and word of mouth, the movie gained tons of publicity. While it never topped the box office, it continued to perform well week after week, staying in theaters well into February of the following year. In total, the movie made $115 million on a budget of just $17 million.

The success of the first movie led to a sequel, Pitch Perfect 2, which premiered in 2015. Now, the Barden Bellas are among the top acapella groups in the world…but after a scandal, the Bellas need to save their reputation and re-earn their glory. The film was an even bigger success than the original, grossing more than $287 million.

A third film, Pitch Perfect 3, came out in 2017. The Bellas are now graduated and struggling with the monotony of their jobs. But they hatch a plan to reunite and perform at a USO tour overseas. The movie was the biggest and craziest yet, involving global travel and even kidnapping. However, Pitch Perfect 3 received worse reviews than the first two films and remains the final Pitch Perfect movie to date.

But in 2022, the franchise received a spin-off series with Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin. The show follows Bumper, who has been a struggling musician since graduation. But after one of his songs becomes a hit in Germany, he heads to Berlin to hopefully jumpstart his career. The show had a fantastic cast including Adam DeVine who reprised his role as Bumper, along with Sarah Hyland and Jameela Jamil. After initially being renewed for a second season, the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strike ended up causing the show’s cancellation.

Hopefully more Pitch Perfect films are on the way, but until then, find out where to watch all three Pitch Perfect movies and Bumper in Berlin with our guide below.

The LEGO brand is huge, spanning movies, TV series, animated specials, video games, and of course, the iconic block toys. One of the brand’s biggest successes has been The LEGO Movie franchise. While LEGO has produced tons of movies and series, like the various LEGO Star Wars specials on Disney+, The LEGO Movie franchise is its own universe separate from the other LEGO franchises. Check out our guide below to find out how to watch every entry in The LEGO Movie series in order.

The series began in 2014 with The LEGO Movie. Starring Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and Morgan Freeman, the movie centers around a LEGO city under attack and the heroes who must save it. In the finale, however, it turns out that it was all taking place inside a giant LEGO set-up in a family’s basement. The movie had some surprisingly great humor and became a hit, earning more than $468 million at the box office.

Then, in 2017, the film received two spin-off sequels. First up was The LEGO Batman Movie. Will Arnett reprised his role as Batman and was joined by other stars like Michael Cera as Robin, Zach Galifianakis as the Joker, and Rosario Dawson as Batgirl. In classic DC fashion, Batman must stop Joker’s evil plans…but instead of being gritty like modern Batman movies, the film was loaded with lots of LEGO humor. 

Just seven months later, another spin-off hit theaters. The LEGO Ninjago Movie centered around the famous ninja-inspired LEGO brand of the same name. The brand already had the long-running animated TV show Ninjago, which began airing in 2011, but the film is actually considered part of The LEGO Movie universe instead. The plot follows the son of an evil mastermind who does everything in his power to stop his dad from taking over the world. 

Also in 2017, the series Unikitty! premiered and followed the fan-favorite character Princess Unikitty from the first film. As an episodical, the show followed the various misadventures and hijinks of the Princess and her fellow inhabitants of the Unikingdom. The show ran for three seasons, airing over 100 episodes. 

The most recent addition to the franchise is 2019’s The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. This time around, the team faces their biggest threat yet: space invaders destroying everything in sight. The hilarious part is that the space invaders are actually toys from the LEGO Duplo line, which is the brand’s toy collection made for toddlers.

According to Variety, Universal Studios acquired the rights to produce LEGO content in 2020, so more movies are expected sometime in the future. Until then, check out our guide below to find out where you can watch every entry in The LEGO Movie franchise so far.