In the realm of family movie nights, there's perhaps no more excruciating moment than preparing for a cozy evening of laughter and camaraderie, only to discover that the film selected isn't...what you thought you selected. For over 100 Amazon Prime Video UK subscribers, this was the reality when they attempted to rent the 2010 family comedy Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Instead of witnessing Greg Heffley's middle school antics, they were inadvertently primed for an R-rated rom-com with Jake Gyllenhaal—far from a suitable flick for the little ones.
The streaming glitch on Amazon Prime Video stirred up a social media storm, resulting in a mostly comical gaffe from the platform. While the mix-up affected only UK subscribers, it prompted a swift response and apology from the company. It's likely that the file for Diary of a Wimpy Kid was accidentally swapped with another 2010 film, Love & Other Drugs, starring Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway.
Unfortunately, Love & Other Drugs features mature language and nudity, which was undoubtedly a shock for at least some of the 122 UK customers who encountered this issue. The news was first reported by Ofcom, as revealed by The DisInsider. Amazon issued an apology for the mix-up, and if there's any silver lining to this fiasco, it's that those attempting to watch Diary of a Wimpy Kid had to actually rent the movie. This would have been far worse if the movie were simply available on Amazon Prime Video to stream for free and played Love & Other Drugs without any warning. Thankfully, that wasn't the case, as the thought of a parent turning on the PG movie for a child and walking away without realizing what was playing would be a nightmare indeed.
Technology Can Be Imperfect, Even for Giants Like Amazon This episode serves as a reminder that double-checking anything related to technology is wise. Accidents and errors are bound to happen, even with the behemoths of the tech industry like Amazon. Of course, there was likely very little harm done from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Love & Other Drugs swap, assuming those who rented the former noticed something wasn't quite right.
After all, as JustWatch highlights, Amazon Prime Video boasts over 20,000 movies and 2,700 television shows streaming on its platform—and that's just the content that comes with a subscription. Including rentals, movies, and shows available for purchase, there's an overwhelming amount of content on a single streaming service that minor errors are bound to occur from time to time. Thankfully, this specific mix-up of 2010 films—one a family comedy and the other an R-rated rom-com—impacted only a small percentage of Amazon Prime Video subscribers/viewers.
