Universal/Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has now earned the largest global animated opening weekend in box office history with a worldwide 5-day launch of $377 million, passing the $358 million record set by Disney’s “Frozen II” on Thanksgiving weekend in 2019.
Domestically, “Mario” was projected when it opened in theaters on Wednesday to earn a 5-day opening of at least $125 million from 4,343 theaters, and it has shattered that figure with $204.6 million grossed. Both that and its 3-day total of $143 million are a studio record for Illumination, with the 3-day total being the third highest seen on Easter weekend and second only to the $182 million earned by Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” among all animated films. It is also the new animation record holder for Imax with $21.6 million grossed worldwide.
And of course, the film has blasted past every box office opening record for video game adaptations, nearly doubling the 3-day domestic record of $72.1 million set by “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” last year and shattering the $210 million global record set by “Warcraft” in 2016.
For theaters, this holiday weekend is another reason to pump their fists and hold onto optimism that the box office is on a long but steady course to returning to pre-pandemic strength. Thanks in large part to “Super Mario Bros.,” overall weekend estimates have risen to $194 million, 76% above the same weekend in 2019.
“’The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s’ strong performance with the family audience this weekend is just another example of the consistent consumer enthusiasm for seeing great films on the big screen,” said Wanda Gierhart Fearing, Cinemark’s chief marketing and content officer on Saturday. “Moviegoers have demonstrated time and time again that they crave the immersive, cinematic experience only theaters can provide.”
Regardless of whether “Mario” legs out with moviegoers who don’t have nostalgic memories of playing Nintendo games, all signs point to this animated film getting plenty of repeat viewings from families and gamers throughout April as there won’t be another major blockbuster until “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in early May.
Depending on the strength of those holds, “Mario” will have a chance to pass the $939 million earned by fellow Illumination film “Minions: The Rise of Gru” to become the top grossing animated film since the pandemic began.
More to come…
