Topline
The Super Mario Bros. Movie, an animated flick inspired by the hit video game, premiered at the box office with a domestic opening of $146.36 million from Friday to Sunday, studio Universal Pictures announced Sunday, the largest debut of a movie so far this year.
This image released by Nintendo and Universal Studios shows Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt, left, and … [+]
Key Facts
The Super Mario Bros. Movie hit theaters on Wednesday and earned over $200 million over five days at the domestic box office, and $377.5 million globally.
The film cost $100 million to make, Variety reported.
Super Mario Bros. beat Ant Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which previously held the title for the biggest domestic opening of the year with $106 million.
It had the largest five-day opening of any movie, surpassing 2009’s Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen with $200 million.
It also had the second-largest opening for an animated movie of all time, falling behind 2016’s Finding Dory, with $135.5 million.
Key Background
The Super Mario Bros. Movie features Chris Pratt voicing the titular plumber, Charlie Day as his brother Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad and Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong. Despite initial outcry at Pratt’s casting (and his decision to not do Mario’s classic Italian accent), the film got a 96% rating from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. It had a 56% rating from critics. It received an A grade on Cinemascore.
Tangent
Air, which also premiered this weekend, had a five-day estimated gross from Wednesday to Sunday of $20.21 million. The film, starring Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Viola Davis and Chris Tucker, tells the story of Nike’s partnership with Michael Jordan. It’s Amazon Studio’s first worldwide theatrical release. The production cost $90 million to make and $40 million to promote.
What To Watch For
Friday’s premieres include Renfield, a vampire comedy starring Nicholas Cage, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz and Nicholas Hoult, and Mafia Mamma, led by Toni Collette.
Further Reading
‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Leads Weekend Box Office With $38 Million Opening—Leading ‘John Wick’ Sequel (Forbes)
Weekend Box Office: ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ Sets Franchise Record With $73.5 Million Debut (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2023/04/09/weekend-box-office-super-mario-bros-movie-wins-big-with-146-million-premiere-weekend/