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It is a real “Wahoo!” moment for The Super Mario Bros. Movie as it has emerged the "highest-grosser of 2023" as of yet, managing a massive global haul of $420.8 million. Backed by Universal Pictures, Illumination, and Nintendo, the venture has thus surpassed Disney-Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, MGM’s sports drama Creed III, and Lionsgate’s revenge offering John Wick: Chapter 4 in the domestic ticket window collections.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie was the first theatrical release this month, premiering on Tuesday, April 5. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic helmed the animated smasher.
As soon as the box office numbers were made public, they elicited mixed reactions from fans. While some were pleased, many crowded Twitter to express bewilderment and sarcastically remark on Hollywood’s knack for turning every blockbuster into a “cinematic universe.”
Interestingly, The Super Mario Bros. Movie didn’t receive much love from critics, who praised the film’s computer animation, musical score, and overall tone though. But it seems that viewers gave it a much warmer welcome, helping it stomp over all at the commercial window.
Besides, Marvel star Chris Pratt as the titular character, the Mario movie also stars Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. Other cast members of the fantasy adventure comedy include Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Charlie Day as Luigi, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad.
"Mid and overrated slop," The Super Mario Bros. Movie box office collection stuns fans
Made on a stunning budget of $100 million, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has already earned over four times its production cost. While box office pundits had estimated an opening score of $225 million, the video game-based feature earned $377.6 million instead.
The surprise blockbuster toppled over several hit movies released this year, leaving many baffled. While many urged Hollywood to refrain from turning it into a franchise on Twitter, some also sarcastically commented that it may exceed the box office collections of films like the Avatar series and Avengers: Endgame.
Ben Affleck-directed Air released alongside the new Mario movie
Based on Nintendo’s extremely famous Mario video game franchise, The Super Mario Bros. Movie comes 30 years after the 1993 live-action film failed to meet expectations.
Although the 92-minute-long film is an entertaining, wholesome package, it was armed with an upper hand over its box office rival, the Ben Affleck-directed Air.
The competitive advantages were the nostalgia and love attached to the original game, Easter weekend, and Pratt’s Guardians of the Galaxy-Marvel pull.
Air pocketed $30.9 million (worldwide) on the debut weekend. While critics praised the cast's performances, Affleck's directorial skills, and Alex Convery's screenplay, it surely couldn’t stand the storm brought over by the new Mario flick.
Both movies are currently running in theaters.
