Eddie Murphy's Coming 2 America Hits Amazon Prime Video Early

Amazon surprised Prime Video subscribers by releasing Eddie Murphy's Coming 2 America comedy a day early. The title, which is a sequel to the 1988 comedy, sees Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall return for another trip to the US. Prime Video subscribers can stream the movie, which was originally intended for a theatrical release, for free.

Amazon has a history of releasing upcoming content earlier than originally scheduled. If you're a Prime subscriber, you may have noticed Coming 2 America promoted on the service and Fire TV devices a bit earlier than expected — that's because Amazon dropped the title a day early.

The new movie is a sequel to the 1988 comedy Coming to America, a series that follows spoiled Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) when he travels from the fictional African country Zamunda to Queens, New York. The sequel follows the prince as he returns to the US decades later.

Coming 2 America was originally set to premiere in theaters. The pandemic and its related movie industry disruption changed those plans and resulted in Amazon acquiring the comedy late last year from Paramount Pictures. Several other top movies have also seen streaming premieres in place of originally planned theatrical releases.Coming 2 America is available with Prime Video's Watch Party feature, which enables friends and family to watch the same movie remotely. The feature has become a popular way to watch new movies amid the pandemic, giving isolated individuals a way to socialize without risking a trip to the cinema.