April will be a very busy month for gamers, as plenty of big-name titles are coming out that month, like the Advance Wars remake, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and more. But, there’s another title coming out to the movie theaters which fans are tentatively curious about, the Super Mario Bros Movie. The film marks Nintendo’s first foray into big-budget animated movies and was made in collaboration with Illumination, the team behind the Despicable Me and Minions movies. If you were hoping the film would “get here soon,” you’re in luck. Twitter announced today that the film’s release date had been moved up.
It’s true. While many films are getting pushed back for various reasons, the Super Mario Bros Movie has gotten an earlier release date! It was supposed to come out on April 7th, but as you can see below, it’s now coming out on April 5th in the US and dozens of other countries.
If you’re trying to remember when April 5th is, that’s a Wednesday, which makes the release even more curious. Typically, movies come out on a Friday and ride a wave throughout the weekend if they have good reviews and positive word of mouth. So while it’s not uncommon for films to open a bit earlier on a Wednesday, the move is usually reserved for some of the biggest blockbusters or those who wish to cash in on a holiday weekend to get as much money as possible.
While the animated feature with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and co. is a big movie in its own right, it’s very odd that it would choose to do the Wednesday release. However, a possible explanation is what is happening on that particular weekend. That weekend is Easter Weekend in certain religions. When that weekend comes around, families who celebrate tend to have meals with family and friends and thus won’t be as inclined to go to a movie theater to watch a film about a video game character.
Perhaps Nintendo and Illumination thought about this and felt it best to release things a bit earlier to give those families a chance to see the movie and then celebrate their religious holiday. Of course, we’re only speculating, but it would make sense from a certain point of view.
The real question isn’t solely about the film’s box office gross but how well fans and critics receive it. Unfortunately, the hype for the movie is a bit mixed, and a bad film could setback Nintendo for a long time in this market.
