Over the weekend it was confirmed that The Super Mario Bros. Movie has collected a mountain of gold coins as it became the first movie to gross more than one billion dollars at the global box office in 2023.
Hitting such a significant milestone less than a month into its theatrical run certainly proves Mario’s enduring popularity, and there’s little doubt that the mustachioed-plumber is set for further big-screen outings in the future.
Now the attention is turning to the movie’s streaming debut. And viewers eager to watch (or rewatch) the animated flick in the comfort of their own homes may not have long to wait either.
According to a Twitter account dedicated to tracking streaming premiere dates for movies (@WhenToStream), the Super Mario Bros. Movie will arrive on VOD service on Tuesday, May 9. That’s less than a week from today (May 3), and would be a surprisingly quick turnaround from theatres to streaming considering the movie appears to still have some box office juice left in the tank.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)Streaming: May 9, 2023*PVOD (Apple, Amazon, Google, etc.)*We've been getting questions on whether this date is still correct, and we're happy to report it's 100% confirmed#TheSuperMarioBrosMovie pic.twitter.com/kGbc2CwBbOMay 2, 2023
The social media account claims that the date is “100% confirmed” but it’s important to note that there’s been no official word from the movie’s distributor, Universal Pictures. Furthermore, while a digital copy of the movie is now available to preorder on Amazon for $29, the retailer does not list a release date, merely stating you’ll “get this movie as soon as it becomes available.”
If this May 9 release date is indeed accurate, we would expect official details very soon. While next Tuesday is an earlier streaming release date than we might have expected, the last Illumination movie, Minions: The Rise of Gru, came to streaming similarly quickly.
The second entry in the Minions spin-off franchise hit theaters on July 1, 2022, hoovered up more than $900m at the box office, and then began streaming on August 2. If this report is true, it seems the Super Mario Bros. Movie is set to take a similar approach.
Should you stream the Super Mario Bros. Movie?
If you’ve been waiting for the Mario movie to release on streaming before giving it a watch, you’re in for a treat. While its critical repetition was subpar (59% on Rotten Tomatoes) its audience scores are dazzling (96% on RT), and longtime Mario players will get a real kick out of the many references to the franchise's storied history. But you don’t need to be a gamer to enjoy this charming family movie; the stunning animation alone should be enough to win over most viewers.
Of course, if the Super Mario Bros. Movie does indeed hit VOD next week, it will come at a premium cost. If you’re instead hoping it'll soon hit one of the best streaming services, expect to wait even longer. Looking again at the example of Minions 2, that movie arrived on Peacock last September before debuting on Netflix in January of this year. Perhaps, Mario will take a similar route, but for now, this is purely speculation.
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