The Super Mario Bros. Movie has reportedly eclipsed all records set by video game adaptations of the past, having already earned US $500 million at the global box office since its launch in early April 2023 – enough to clear the bar set by fellow blockbusters, Warcraft and Pokemon: Detective Pikachu.
This analysis was shared by Variety, which noted a domestic U.S. haul of US $260.3 million, and an international total of US $248.4 million in the film’s opening week. As noted by Variety, this places the film ahead of Marvel’s recently released blockbuster, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was backed by the staying power of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fever.
Where few films have succeeded, it seems The Super Mario Bros. Movie has the brand recognition and clout to overcome the might of one of Disney’s most popular, long-running franchises.
While the Super Mario adaptation has received mixed reviews from critics, it has fared much better with audiences, who have heaped praise on its visuals, action, and simple fun. On the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critic’s score of just 58%, and an audience score of 96%.
Read: The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review
In the GamesHub review of the film, we called it a ‘visual rollercoaster’.
‘As is the case with many contemporary film adaptations, the biggest joy of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. comes from the simple pleasure of seeing characters and worlds that you likely already have an established connection with come to life on the big screen in such a vividly detailed way,’ Edmond Tran, GamesHub Managing Editor, wrote. ‘The film knows this, and it knows that it has the power, clout, and artistry to lean into this and successfully pull some kind of psychological string in you.’
It appears that despite mixed reception overall, moviegoers are still keen for an adventure to the Mushroom Kingdom – with all the colour and over-the-top action that entails.
In its quest for box office dominance, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has now left countless other video game adaptations in the dust – based on pure audience sentiment, and those all-important box office numbers. Recent releases like Uncharted, Mortal Kombat, and Monster Hunter pale in comparison.
Given we’re only a week into the cinema run for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, we can expect to see its box office dominance continue in the months ahead. Stay tuned to hear more about the upward trajectory of the film – and what this success could mean for a potential sequel, and spin-offs.
![The Super Mario Bros. Movie (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) [4K UHD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51anO-45LBL._SL500_.jpg)
