'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' will hit theaters two days early

It will now open on April 5 for a five-day opening weekend.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is pushing back its release date. The animated adventure will now open on April 5 in over 60 markets (it was previously scheduled for April 7). Giving the film a five-day opening over Easter weekend is an old Hollywood trick that could help boost its initial revenue and lead to marketing-friendly headlines touting its early success.

The film features the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Chris Day as Luigi, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, and Jack Black as Bowser. It was originally slated for a December release, but Illumination and Nintendo announced early last year that they would be pushing it back to April. In April and May, the film will be released in ten other markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe; The Japan release is timed to coincide with the Golden Week holiday on April 28.

The film will mark Mario's first starring role on the big screen since 1993's ill-fated Super Mario Bros., starring Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi, which exploded at the box office but became something of a "so bad it's good" cult classic in subsequent years. Before that, kids in the late 80s and early 90s enjoyed The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, a live action/animated series featuring Captain Lou Albano and Danny Wells.

The next Mario movie could be a barometer of the public's appetite for video game movies. Hollywood adaptations of gaming IPs have a long track record of (rightly) bombing with box offices and reviews. Still, HBO's excellent The Last of Us series was a notable exception that Nintendo and Illumination would love to continue on the big screen.

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Technology Mar 1, 2023 0 43 Add to Reading List

'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' will hit theaters two days early

It will now open on April 5 for a five-day opening weekend.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is pushing back its release date. The animated adventure will now open on April 5 in over 60 markets (it was previously scheduled for April 7). Giving the film a five-day opening over Easter weekend is an old Hollywood trick that could help boost its initial revenue and lead to marketing-friendly headlines touting its early success.

The film features the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Chris Day as Luigi, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, and Jack Black as Bowser. It was originally slated for a December release, but Illumination and Nintendo announced early last year that they would be pushing it back to April. In April and May, the film will be released in ten other markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe; The Japan release is timed to coincide with the Golden Week holiday on April 28.

The film will mark Mario's first starring role on the big screen since 1993's ill-fated Super Mario Bros., starring Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi, which exploded at the box office but became something of a "so bad it's good" cult classic in subsequent years. Before that, kids in the late 80s and early 90s enjoyed The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, a live action/animated series featuring Captain Lou Albano and Danny Wells.

The next Mario movie could be a barometer of the public's appetite for video game movies. Hollywood adaptations of gaming IPs have a long track record of (rightly) bombing with box offices and reviews. Still, HBO's excellent The Last of Us series was a notable exception that Nintendo and Illumination would love to continue on the big screen.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices correct at time of publication.