Universal’s animated adaptation of the iconic video game Super Mario Bros. has surpassed expectations yet again, grossing an estimated $87 million in its second weekend and bringing its total domestic earnings to $347.8 million and global earnings to $678 million in less than two weeks.
The film debuted with an impressive $204 million in its extended five-day opening, breaking records for the biggest opening for a video game film and the biggest opening of any movie in 2023.
Super Mario has already become the highest-grossing film of the year and the highest-grossing video game adaptation worldwide, overtaking Warcraft with $439 million. The movie, which features the voices of Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, is expected to become Illumination’s third billion-dollar grosser.
Other films entering the market this week have seen mixed results. Screen Gems’ horror film The Pope’s Exorcist, directed by Julius Avery and starring Russell Crowe, took second place with an estimated $9.1 million in its opening weekend.
Holdover hit John Wick: Chapter 4 held third place with around $7.9 million, bringing its domestic total to $160 million. The action sequel, which stars Keanu Reeves, has already grossed over $300 million globally and may surpass John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum as the franchise’s top-grossing entry worldwide.
Universal’s horror comedy Renfield, a modern-day reimagining of the Dracula legend with Nicolas Cage in the iconic role, underperformed with an estimated $7.7 million in its debut weekend, competing with Ben Affleck’s Air for the fourth spot. The sports comedy has earned $33 million domestically.
Super Mario is expected to continue dominating the box office until Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives early next month. Meanwhile, Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid debuted in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles with the best per-theater average since 2019’s Uncut Gems. Japanese anime icon Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume grossed an estimated $5 million after already earning over $250 million globally. For more updates, stay tuned to moviewebupdate.com
