Prime Video Placeholder Hints at Super Mario Bros. Movie Home Streaming Release Date

The Super Mario Bros. Movie may be streaming on Prime Video soon thanks to a placeholder release date for May 9 on Amazon’s video streaming service.

The movie’s PVOD page was spotted by Resetera user ContractHolder, noting that it’s been marked as “Early Access,” which means it may start streaming on Prime Video one month after the start of its theatrical run. When you preorder The Super Mario Bros. Movie on the service, you may see May 9, 2023 as the placeholder date. It’s expected to come out on PVOD on that date, but that may be subject to change.

“Usually Universal only rushes their films to PVOD if it has under a $50 million opening weekend,” ContractHolder explained in the post. “That’s probably not going to happen for the Mario movie, but the marker has specifically been used for movies going to PVOD early in their theater run. So keep in mind that there’s a chance home viewings for the Mario movie could happen quickly.”

The user pointed out that Minions: The Rise of Gru released to PVOD a month after its theatrical release last summer, despite grossing over the $50 million mark at the box office during its opening weekend ($940 million worldwide), followed by a Peacock release two and a half months later. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish followed that pattern after its theatrical release during the holiday season, releasing on PVOD in January and then Peacock in February.

This arrangement originated from a licensing agreement Universal made with Amazon, Peacock, and Netflix in 2021. During the 18-month window of a Universal film’s theatrical run, it will start streaming on Peacock for the first four months, followed by Prime Video and Netflix for 10 months, and Peacock again for the last four months. However, with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it looks to be the other way around.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is in theaters now. For more on Illumination’s first video game adaptation, read our review.

Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. She has contributed her work to various publications, including Digital Trends, TheGamer, Twinfinite, Mega Visions, and The Escapist. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.