Its-a blockbuster! The Super Mario Bros. Movie, an animated adventure based on the classic video game, crushed the competition with its jaw-dropping $204.6 million domestic and $377 million global debut over the long Easter weekend.
Those results far exceeded expectations and even surpassed the starts of recent installments in Universals biggest franchises, like Jurassic World Dominion ($145 million domestically) and Fast and Furious 9 ($70 million). So, expect a sequel to be announced faster than you can say Lets-a go!
The box office just kept growing and growing, marvels Jim Orr, Universals president of domestic distribution.Its a tremendous worldwide debut, and the movie has a clear runway.
The PG film, which cost Universal, Illumination and Nintendo roughly $100 million to bring to the big screen, thrived as the de facto choice among family crowds, who have been starved of compelling theatrical offerings since last Decembers release, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
But the kid-friendly film also managed to expand its reach beyond parents with young ones. Thanks to a heaping dose of nostalgia and positive word-of-mouth (reviews not so much), Mario turned into a four-quadrant blockbuster resonating with males and females, young and old, who grew up with Mario, Luigi and other inhabitants of the fantastical Mushroom Kingdom.
The film is based on incredible IP, which is beloved by people of different generations, says Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of distribution for Universal Pictures International.
Just because Mario is adapted from one of the most popular video games doesnt mean the film was preordained for blockbuster status. In fact, 1993s disastrous live-action Super Mario Bros, starring Bob Hoskins as Mario and John Leguizamo as Luigi, has become a legendary example of Hollywoods failure to properly translate video game stories from consoles to cinemas.
Even though critics were mixed on the new adaptation, featuring the voices of Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach and Jack Blackas Bowser, opening weekend audiences were enthusiastic and awarded the film an A CinemaScore. Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, The Super Mario Bros. Movie follows Mario and Luigi, Brooklyn-based plumbers, who get sucked into the mystical Mushroom Kingdom and help to stop the villainous Koopa King from world domination.
Will The Super Mario Bros. Movie become the first movie of the year to hit $1 billion at the global box office? Many analysts believe itll cross the coveted milestone with ease. Until the working-class plumbers achieve ultimate box office glory, here are all the records that were super-smashed in the films opening weekend.
Domestic:
Highest-grossing debut of 2023, surpassing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania at $106.1 million Biggest five-day (Wednesday-Sunday) opening of all-time, overtaking 2009s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen at $200 million. (Note: This stat is specifically for movies that opened on a Wednesday. Its nowhere near the biggest opening weekends in general, which belong to Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Infinity War and their $250 million-plus starts over three days)Highest-grossing debut for Illumination, beating 2015s Minions and its three-day opening weekend of $115.7 millionSecond-biggest debut ever for an animated movie, outpacing 2016s Finding Dory and its three-day opening weekend of $135.1 million and following Incredibles 2 and its three-day debut of $183 millionHighest-grossing debut for a video game adaptation, outranking 2022s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 at $72.1 million International:
Biggest opening of 2023, ahead ofAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaat $117.1 millionSecond-biggest animated opening of all-time, behindFrozen 2at $228.2 millionBiggest Illumination opening of all-timeBiggest video game opening of all-time Global:
Biggest opening of 2023, bringing down Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania at $225.3 millionHighest Illumination opening of all-time, passing 2013s Despicable Me 2 at $208 millionBiggest video game opening of all-time, eclipsing 2016s Warcraft at $210 million Highest animated opening weekend ever for Imax with $21.6 million