The Super Mario Bros. Movie has only been in theatres for nine days and in that time, it has destroyed box office records set by the likes of Warcraft and Pokémon Detective Pikachu.
The Nintendo and Illumination adaptation has crossed the $500 million mark at the global box office and has become the highest-grossing film of 2023 so far, beating out Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Furthermore, The Super Mario Bros Movie has earned $260.3 million domestically and $248.4 million internationally. All said, its worldwide total hit $508.7 million.
It is clear that with the film’s success over the last few weeks, a sequel is imminent and we’ll be seeing what Mario and Luigi deal with next. After all, a sequel was teased in a post-credits scene at the end of the film which sets up a sequel perfectly.
Even though Nintendo swore off film adaptations after Super Mario Bros. in 1993, it seems like the company is a stickler for creative control has been the reason for the animated film’s success. With the help of Illumination, the duo has essentially stuck to the formula that makes video games so successful. By focusing on the plot more than character development, you’re able to tell a story in 90 minutes that benefit from the minimal storytelling Mario games are known for.
