‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Smashes Box Office Records in Debut

Summary:

• “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has broken box office records in its weekend debut.
• Mario and Luigi remain as popular as ever in this second adaptation of the Nintendo game.
• Universal’s film will likely reach $1 billion in box office sales.

The highly anticipated “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has made a spectacular debut, earning $204.6 million domestically and $377 million worldwide over the extended Easter weekend, reports Variety.

This impressive performance surpassed expectations and even outperformed recent releases from Universal’s most prominent franchises, such as “Jurassic World Dominion” ($145 million domestically) and “Fast and Furious 9” ($70 million). As a result, a sequel announcement seems likely to follow soon.

Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution, expressed amazement at the film’s continuous growth and tremendous worldwide debut, with a clear path ahead. The PG-rated film, produced by Universal, Illumination, and Nintendo at an estimated cost of $100 million, has been a go-to choice for families who have longed for exciting theatre experiences since “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” was released last December.

The movie’s success wasn’t limited to family audiences; it also resonated with a diverse demographic, thanks to a healthy dose of nostalgia and positive word-of-mouth. The iconic characters from the Mushroom Kingdom appealed to people of different generations, as Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of distribution for Universal Pictures International, noted.

However, this success wasn’t guaranteed simply because “Super Mario Bros.” is based on a highly popular video game. The 1993 live-action adaptation starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo remains an infamous example of Hollywood’s struggle to adapt video games for the big screen.

Although critics had mixed opinions on the new animated version, featuring Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black, opening weekend audiences were thrilled, giving the film an “A” CinemaScore.

Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” follows plumbers Mario and Luigi on their quest to save the Mushroom Kingdom from the evil Koopa King. With analysts predicting the film may hit the $1 billion mark at the global box office, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has become the must-see movie of the year it seems.

Check out the trailer below for The Super Mario Bros. Movie:

Did you watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie this long weekend?