Defying expectations, the “Super Mario Bros. Movie” has become the first film of 2023 to cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office, four weeks after its release.
The adaptation of the renowned Nintendo video game is the first movie based on a video game to achieve such extraordinary success.
According to Variety, the Chris Pratt-led film has grossed $490 million in North America and $532 million internationally as of Sunday.
It is only the fifth film to reach this significant milestone since the pandemic, joining the likes of “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and “Jurassic World Dominion.”
Released during the long Easter holiday on April 5th, the movie quickly surpassed Marvel’s highly anticipated “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
By the end of its opening weekend, the film had become the top-grossing film of 2023, both globally and domestically.
Featuring an all-star cast of voice actors, including Pratt as Mario and Jack Black as the love-struck, tortured villain Bowser, the film has resonated with audiences, earning a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
One viewer wrote, “I took my four-year-old son to watch this movie as he’s super into Mario and he LOVED it. I loved the humor in the movie, the colors and animation. It is a good storyline and just a great family-friendly movie. I have no complaints.”
Another audience member shared, “Perfect for my 11-year-old. She enjoyed it and it didn’t have the adult themes or conversation that I have to explain later when she asks me.”
However, critics have been less enthusiastic, with the movie receiving a 59% score on the review site.
A Chicago Reader critic wrote, “Among the many errors of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, screenwriter Matthew Fogel plops him and his brother Luigi into a milquetoast Brooklyn family that doubts them and disrespects their small-business dreams.”
Despite mixed reviews, the “Super Mario Bros. Movie” has undoubtedly made a significant impact on the global box office, becoming the first film of 2023 to surpass the $1 billion milestone and setting a new precedent for video game adaptations.
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