“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” Made Over $200 Million During Its Opening Weekend
The producers of The Super Mario Bros. Movie knew what they were doing when they decided to release the film over the Easter holiday weekend. And their genius planning has resulted in both Mario and Luigi taking in a huge payday at the box office with a whopping $205 million during its US premiere, despite its bad reviews (it’s certified Rotten!). So apparently, Chris Pratt wasn’t lying when he said he was going to do Mario’s character justice. Maybe all of his films should be animated from now on since that’s the only way many can tolerate him.
Now, this isn’t exactly earth shattering news since many believed this movie would be a smash (or a SUPER SMASH if you’re a video game dork like myself). And while audiences loved warping back into nostalgia and good memories, most critics were ready to hit the reset button and hope for a better offering next time. One movie critic, The Guardian‘s Betsy Reed, did not mince words with her review when she stated, “Those less enthralled by the antics of the moustachioed Italian plumber will wonder which of Donkey Kong’s weaponised barrels this joyless, noisy mess was scraped from.” OUCH! Well, whatever, Betsy, because the numbers don’t lie. And according to Entertainment Weekly, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which features the voice talents of our least favorite Chris, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, and Jack Black, shook all of the gold coins out of each theater it premiered in, ascending high atop the throne of film history by bringing in the most opening weekend money for an animated film ever! For comparison, the first floptastic feature-length Super Mario Bros. movie (1993) brought in $20.1 million TOTAL.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie made a splash at this weekend’s box office…earning $31.7 million on its opening day on Wednesday, and racking up an estimated five-day total through Sunday of $204.6 million, according to Comscore.
Internationally, the Brothers Super-Mario grossed an additional $172.8 million, bringing its worldwide total to $377.5 million. That raccoon-suited debut flew right by Frozen 2 to become the biggest worldwide opening for an animated film ever.
Here are the top 5 movies at the US box office this past Friday through Sunday weekend via Box Office Mojo:
1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie – $146.4 million
2. John Wick: Chapter 4 – $14.6 million
3. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – $14.5 million
4. Air – $14.5 million
5. Scream VI – $3.3 million
Since the Super Mario Bros. movie was a hit, this means there will be a million sequels and spin-offs, which means that there will be a million more chances for Chris Pratt to open his mouth and speak during promo tours. So the real villain of the Super Mario universe isn’t King Koopa; it’s Chris Pratt with a mic in front of him.
Pic: Universal Pictures