With an impressive opening weekend and box office earnings thus far, our beloved Italian plumber has been doing nothing but exceeding expectations lately.The Super Mario Bros. Moviereceived mixed reviews when it debuted in theaters on April 5, with some critics saying thatthe film adaptation was a love letter to the games it was based onas well asa feature that everyone could hope for from a Super Mario movie. The record-breaking animated movie has continued to smash the global box office and is expected to race towards the $1 billion mark. It has grossed an estimated $92.5 million in gross earnings from 4,371 theaters in its second week of theatrical run alone, crossing a total of $700 million globally.
Based on a classic Nintendo video game,The Super Mario Bros. Movieis already poised to become the highest grossing video game adaptation ever. That’s especially true considering how the animated film has delivered a massive amount of earnings at the domestic and global box office, earning an estimated $87 million in its second week, even surpassing 2019’sFrozen II, which accumulated a total of $86 million during its second week run in cinemas. Super Mario has grossed $353.3 million domestically and $339.8 million internationally, earning a staggering global total of $693.1 million before meeting the $700 million mark.
The Universal and Illumination’s collaboration feature has indeed defied expectations and become the top-grossing film of the year so far, beatingThe Pope’s Exorcist, which is in the second spot, alongsideJohn Wick: Chapter 4at the third spot, andRenfieldplacing fourth. The animated genre has also been doing great this year, with the apparent success ofThe Super Mario Bros. MovieandMakoto Shinkai’sSuzumebecoming one of the highest-grossing anime films of all time, pushingOnce Piece Film: Reddown to the fifth place.
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Super Mario Smashed His Way to the Top
Directed byAaron HorvathandMichael Jelenic,The Super Mario Bros. Moviejoined the Illumination’s list of blockbusters, includingSing,Despicable Me, andThe Secret Life of Pets. Featuring a direct reference to the original video game,Chris Pratt—who voiced the titular hero—promised that the film wouldn’t, in any way, ruin anyone’s childhood. And he appears to have kept that promise, as critics have praised the film for including Easter eggs that fans of the original game will recognize. Along with its impressive box office records, the film swiftly became the biggest video game adaptation ever, overcoming Universal Pictures’Warcraftand theRyan Reynolds-starringDetective Pikachu.
The Super Mario Bros. Movieis still expected to break records in the coming weeks, but another highly anticipated film,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, might defeat the Nintendo staple when the space misfits return to theaters on May 5.
