The Super Mario Bros. Movie Just Had Its Release Date Bumped Up
If you've already circled the release date of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" in your calendar, you will have to get your eraser. Nintendo has just let everyone know that the movie has a brand new release date, and instead of being delayed, it's now set to launch sooner. However, as is often the case, the dates vary globally.
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" marks yet another instance of a video game making it to the big screens in an animated (or semi-animated) form. One of the most recent examples of this has to be the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie. The initial reveal of the fierce blue hedgehog had the internet in an uproar until the animation was redone completely. With that change, the film was successful enough to score a sequel, aptly named "Sonic the Hedgehog 2."
Seeing as "Super Mario" games have been popular for years and years, it's no surprise that the famous Italian plumber is also making it to the cinemas. The movie has a star-studded cast and might be a hit if everything goes well. The cast includes Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Charlie Day (Luigi), and Jack Black (Bowser).
Mario will arrive sooner than expected
Much like how the original "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie suffered some delays, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" was also set to release sooner. Originally meant to be released in December 2022, the film was pushed to April 7, 2023. This was the global release date, with Japan to follow on April 28. However, things have now changed.
According to Nintendo's update, the movie will launch on April 5, 2023 — two days ahead of schedule. The Japanese launch date remains the same, and some countries may see different dates across April and May.
It's difficult to say where this change comes from. Often, movies and shows are launched around the weekend to let viewers see them first. As of now, there aren't any movies launching on April 7 that could explain why Universal Pictures and Illumination decided to move up "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" by those two days, so it might be unrelated to wanting to avoid competition and more to do with scheduling or marketing plans.