The much discussedSuper Mario Bros. Moviehad a rather mixed critical reception going into its release, but it’s clear that didn’t stop people from wanting to go see it, as it was reported viaDeadlinethat the film has made $377.2 million worldwide during its opening weekend so far, making it the biggest opening weekend of all time for any animated movie ever.
The record was previously held by 2019’s Frozen 2, which grossed about $358 million duringitsopening weekend, so the Mario Movie has already surpassed that by a respectable margin and is likely to rise even further as Sunday’s revenue has yet to be tracked.
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Deadline shared some more interesting Mario Movie analytics, such as that it accounted for 74% of the “moviegoing foot traffic,” for the United States and Canada during that opening weekend. Deadline also referred to this movie as an “everybody movie,” meaning not just a movie for kids, as the attendance proportions were split approximately evenly between all times of the day.
Indeed,Mariois one of the most ubiquitous and recognized video game characters, and has been since his inception in the 80s, so it only makes sense that older moviegoers and gamers are just as interested in checking this movie out as younger players (or children who just like animated content).
Though the critical reception was mixed, the audience reception has been much more positive, especially among the video game audience, which would match the supremely successful box office performance. 96% of watchers over atRotten Tomatoeshave deemed the movie enjoyable, while itsIMDBrating currently sits at a solid 7.4/10.
Subjective assessments of its quality aside, the movie was a big hit, and besides just inspiring future Mario orNintendomovies, it’s likely got many a video game executive realizing just how lucrative adaptations can be. Though quality video game adaptations have existed for a while now, the quick succession of the record-breakingThe Last of Usshow on HBO, followed by this Mario Movie, is likely to inspire a wave of video game adaptations unlike we’ve ever seen before.
