The Super Mario Bros. Movie has only been out for a little over a week and the video game adaptation has already broken countless records. This includes beating Frozen 2 for the highest grossing opening weekend for an animated film in history. Now, ahead of the film’s second weekend of release, Super Mario Bros. has crossed the $500 million mark at the box office. This has easily secured it as the highest grossing video game film of all-time surpassing 2016’s Warcraft which grossed $439 million in its entire theatrical run.
As of now, Mario has made $260.3 million domestically and $248.4 million internationally which combines for a worldwide gross of $508.7 million. This also makes Mario the highest grossing film of 2023 thus far which passes Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s $474.2 million worldwide gross. When compared to other recent video game hits Mario also has surpassed films like Uncharted, Detective Pikachu, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Why is Super Mario Such a Hit?
There are a lot of reasons to explain Mario’s success, but the film just being a good time at the movies is a great place to start. From beginning to end, this film was a joyous love letter to the Mushroom Kingdom and Nintendo’s rich history. A bare Dry Bones story couldn’t stop these plumbers from delivering a golden Yoshi Egg of delight. The animation was breathtaking and colorful, the action was thrilling, the music was pitch perfect, and the endless references to Mario’s past just made fans feel like a kid again. Mario perfectly captured the feeling of playing the games that inspired it while effortlessly justifying its cinematic glow up. That has only helped the rewatchability factor of this breezy 90-minute adventure.
Old and new fans alike, from multiple generations of gamers, can’t get enough of this film. They want to see Jack Black’s Bowser sing “Peaches” till the end of time and sequences like the Mario Kart chase or Princess Peach’s training montage are just something that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. However, even with the very simple story, the wonderful themes of brotherhood and never giving up make this an emotionally weighty adventure that’s worth taking multiple times.
What’s Next for Super Mario?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is well on its way to becoming 2023’s first billion-dollar film, and it’s certain to cross $600 million by the end of the weekend. When you consider the film’s $100 million budget, Universal and Nintendo must be triple jumping for joy. Mario, Luigi, and the Mushroom Kingdom finally have a film worthy of their historic namesake. While fans wait for Mario to cross its next major milestone, you can go rewatch Super Mario Bros. in theaters now. The trailer can be viewed down below.
