The Super Mario Bros. Movie is finally streaming, and it just broke a Universal record with its long-awaited release.
Nintendo's long-awaited Super Mario Bros. Movie proved to be a smash hit with audiences as it broke records and remains the highest-grossing and the only billion-dollar movie of the year with a $1.35 billion box office haul worldwide.
Following its exciting spring release on April 5, The Super Mario Bros. Movie made its way to digital on May 16 and physical on June 16, with fans since then eagerly waiting to relive the video game adaptation on streaming.
Mario Movie Breaks Major Universal Streaming Record
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has broken a frustrating Universal record for the longest wait for a streaming release since its exclusive deal with Peacock began.
In Summer 2021, Universal reached a deal with NBC's streaming service Peacock to bring its newest theatrical movies to the streamer, along with developing some original movies, starting with its 2022 release slate.
The deal sees Universal's movies arrive on Peacock within 120 days of their release, with the unique agreement setting out an 18-month window after a movie's streaming debut in which it must be on the service for the first and last four months while they are free to be shopped to other services for the middle ten.
The only exemption to the rule comes in releases from Steven Spielberg's production company, Amblin Entertainment, which, despite releasing through Universal, instead bypass the Peacock deal and go to Showtime due to its own independent post-release deal which has applied to The Fabelmans and more.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie arrived in theaters on April 5, and the Nintendo blockbuster is only just making its streaming debut as it comes to Peacock on August 3, 120 days after its release.
The milestone broke the previous record for the longest wait for a Universal streaming release under this deal, which was set by Jordan Peele's Nope after it remained a theatrical exclusive for 119 days.
The full list of Universal's longest theatrical-to-streaming windows under its Peacock deal can be seen below:
- The Bad Guys: April 22, 2022 - July 1, 2022 (70 days)
- Jurassic World Dominion: June 10, 2022 - September 2, 2022 (84 days)
- Minions: The Rise of Gru: July 1, 2022 - September 23, 2022 (84 days)
- Nope: July 22, 2022 - November 18, 2022 (119 days)
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: December 21, 2022 - March 10, 2023 (80 days)
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie: April 5, 2023 - August 3, 2023 (120 days)
- Fast X: May 19, 2023 - TBD (75 days and counting)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Still Thriving
The Super Mario Bros. Movie's box office tenure has so far left it as the highest-grossing movie of 2023, and as such, it only makes sense for Universal to continue fueling its theatrical run for as long as possible.
Up until the week beginning on June 23, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was still grossing upwards of a million dollars a week domestically, meaning it held above that mark for an impressive 12 weeks.
But with 120 days now having passed since it arrived in theaters, as per Universal's deal with Peacock, the studio is now required to release the movie on the service, formally closing out its theatrical-to-home-to-streaming journey.
After Mario broke the internet with its original release, the movie is bound to do the same once again as fans relive the experience while a host of others get to enjoy the joyous Nintendo adaptation for the very first time.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie will begin streaming on Peacock on Thursday, August 3.
