In some very unexpected news, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is speeding towards a box office take of US$1 billion. Assuming nothing sidelines its surprisingly impressive performance, the animated film, obviously based on the iconic Nintendo video game franchise, could end up being the biggest movie of 2023.
While mixed reviews have surrounded the adaptation since it was released on April 5, 2023, in addition to the numerous viral memes mocking Chris Pratt (who voices Mario), early criticism clearly hasn’t stopped audiences from showing up for the iconic video game character. As we’ve seen many times over the past few years, nostalgia and fan service trump quite a lot in entertainment these days. That coupled with an aggressive marketing campaign has seen The Super Mario Bros. Movie put up some serious numbers at the Box Office.
As reported by Deadline, the Mario movie, which was produced by Nintendo and Illumination, has already made US$678 million in sales so far. The film is currently ranked number one in 26 countries. The profitability makes it likely Nintendo will look at adapting more of its iconic properties into blockbuster animated films in the future while the demand for video game adaptations keeps rising.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie stars Chris Pratt in the titular role with Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.
