The Super Mario Bros. Movie Is Now One Of The 20 Biggest Movies Ever At The Box Office
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" can officially add "one of the highest-grossing movies of all time" to its resume. The animated feature based on Nintendo's beloved video game series has been on an absolute tear at the box office since hitting theaters in April. Now, it's not only pretty much a lock to finish 2023 as the biggest movie of the year, but it will also go down as one of the 20 biggest movies ever released. At least in terms of raw dollars earned from ticket sales, not accounting for inflation.
According to Box Office Mojo, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" has now earned $1.314 billion globally, putting it at number 18 all time. It now ranks just ahead of "Frozen" ($1.28 billion) and "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" ($1.31 billion), while coming in just below "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" ($1.334 billion) for the time being. It is entirely possible that Universal and Illumination's take on Mario and Luigi could get to $1.34 billion, putting it at number 17. In terms of how high it could potentially climb? The movie is certainly winding down but overtaking "Black Panther" ($1.349 billion) to secure the number 15 spot doesn't seem impossible.
Regardless, this is an absolutely astounding performance that very few people saw coming. Audiences have been downright starved for animated, family-friendly entertainment. That, coupled with perfect timing and the global recognition of "Mario" as a brand, made for a perfect storm. The only animated movie to ever make more money was "Frozen II" ($1.45 billion). That is unless we count 2019's "The Lion King" remake ($1.66 billion), which isn't technically live-action. But that's another conversation entirely.
The beginning of something much bigger
While nothing has been officially confirmed as of this writing, there is no question that Universal, Illumination, and Nintendo will partner for more movies in the future. Moreover, given the performance of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," that is going to be a sooner rather than later sort of thing. Believe me, we won't be waiting more than two years for a sequel, that much is certain. The bigger question at hand right now is whether or not it's just one sequel, or something far more grandiose.
The fact of the matter is the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still the template that every studio wants to replicate. Unfortunately, it's easier said than done. Still, Nintendo's treasure trove of franchises would actually make sense as a connected universe. The first "Mario" movie has already introduced Donkey Kong and set the stage for a possible "Luigi's Mansion" movie, in addition to a direct sequel. Throw in stuff like "Kirby," "Star Fox," and maybe even "Zelda," then bam! You've got a cinematic universe.
It's easy to imagine the powers that be are currently negotiating plans for such a thing as we speak. It's up to Nintendo to decide just how far they want this partnership to extend. For now, all involved get to take one heck of a victory lap.