UPDATE:
Some sources are saying that the movie has already grossed more domestically in its first week than any other film in 2023! If so, that bodes well for its theatrical run!
ORIGINAL STORY:
One of the things about the box office that is often rather hilarious is that experts will make “projections” about a movie in terms of what it’ll make domestically or globally, and those predictions are often wrong. It’s not because they overestimated or underestimated the movie per se, but because people are unpredictable, and sometimes word of mouth can make things more successful if it’s a good movie or less successful if it’s a bad one. For example, with the Super Mario Bros Movie, most people predicted it would have a solid box office opening and be No.1. They were right, but their numbers were a bit low.
Throughout the 5-day Easter weekend, the Super Mario Bros Movie made an astounding $368 million. These numbers are based on the latest revised results posted by IGN. But what does that number mean? It means that the movie now holds the record for the biggest opening for an animated film. That’s right. Mario’s movie is now at the top of the animation heap and is above all other films made by Disney and Pixar.
Just over the regular box office weekend, the film made $137 million, which made it the biggest opening of the year, even passing a Marvel Cinematic Universe film. That’s significant because that film was the third in a trilogy and was meant to serve as a catalyst for all that was coming next. Even then, it could barely crack $100 million, whereas Mario, with his first movie, did a much bigger number.
What other records did the movie break? Well, it’s officially the biggest video game opening on both the domestic and global levels. Sorry, Sonic fans, Mario beat you again. It’s also the biggest opening for the animation studio Illumination.
Another thing to note here is that this film did all this despite lukewarm reviews from critics and many fans’ trepidation about certain characters’ voice acting. So what does this prove? It proves that sometimes you need to see a movie and judge things for yourself instead of listening to everyone saying what they think and weighing you down. It’s a movie. If you want to see it, see it. If not, then don’t!
As for what’s next for the film, we’ll watch closely to see how it does in its second weekend at the box office. Some think the film is a lock-in for a billion dollars, but it has a ways to go before reaching that legendary milestone.
