The Super Mario Bros. Movie is nearly ready to leap out of the warp pipe and into cinemas, but fans should be aware that the film’s release date has received a last-minute change. Unlike many of the films that had their release pushed back over the past few years, usually a result of the pandemic, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is coming out earlier than expected.
Related: We’ll get our first look at the Super Mario Bros. movie at NYCC with a teaser trailer
The Super Mario Bros. Movie hits theaters on April 5
The Super Mario Bros. Movie trailers and dedicated Nintendo Directs have already discussed the release date, as it was initially set for April 7. A post on the official Twitter page for the movie has confirmed that the date has changed and that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now launching on April 5 in North America and most territories worldwide. The exception to this is Japan, where it launches on April 28.
This change means that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is launching on a Wednesday rather than a Friday, so it won’t follow the usual opening weekend ticket sales format that most blockbuster films use. This is an odd decision given that the first weekend sales are generally used as a metric for how well the film will perform in the following weeks. In this case, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is launching mid-week when people will likely have school or work the next day.
Related: Check out the painstakingly detailed shoes on Mario in latest poster for The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Universal Pictures hasn’t explained why this change was made. The thinking behind it is unclear, as no blockbusters are releasing during the April 7 weekend that The Super Mario Bros. Movie would have been competing with. The initial positive reaction to the film’s trailer may have led to the studio wanting a slightly earlier release to build up a lot of buzz for that first weekend of sales, as lots of Mario fans will likely still show up for a Wednesday or Thursday showing.
