Movie

The Chris Pratt-starring movie soars to No. 1 on the domestic chart with an estimated $204.6 million over the long Easter holiday weekend, posting the third-highest Easter opening weekend of all time.

• Apr 10, 2023

AceShowbiz - "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" has run to the top of the North American box office. The animated movie adaptation of Nintendo's video game franchise has risen to become No. 1 on Easter weekend with record-breaking opening.

Illumination and Universal's movie shattered all expectations and broke numerous records with an estimated $146.4 million during the traditional three-day weekend and $204.6 million over the five-day frame. It surpasses the $72.1 million opening of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" to become the top opening weekend for a video game adaptation, as well as surpassing its $190.8 million lifetime gross to become the top grossing video game adaptation ever.

It also becomes the third-highest Easter opening weekend of all time, behind "Furious 7" and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice". The "Super Mario Bros." movie also becomes the top opening of 2023 to date on all fronts after surpassing "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania", which opened to $106.1 million back in January.

While it struggles to be accepted in China, the film also strives overall internationally with $173 million from 70 markets, bringing its global tally to a mighty $377 million.

"This is one of the biggest box office over-performances in recent memory and is absolutely shattering all pre-release projections," says Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "Mario officially says 'game over' to the video game movie adaptation curse."

"Cinemas around the world were filled with kids and families drawn by the communal fun that the film promised and delivered in this perfectly executed video game adaptation," Dergarabedian further gushes. "This is great news for theaters."

" '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," Wanda Gierhart Fearing, Cinemark's chief marketing and content officer, also reacts to the movie's opening gross. "Moviegoers have demonstrated time and time again that they crave the immersive, cinematic experience only theaters can provide."

Despite initial criticism over Chris Pratt's voice as Mario, the movie was well received by audiences, who gave it an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale based on a survey by CinemaScore. Critics, however, were not so kind, with an average rating of 5.6/10 on Rotten Tomatoes.

Also released on April 5 in the U.S. was "Air", Ben Affleck's movie about the origins of Nike's Air Jordan and how the corporation signed Michael Jordan. The Matt Damon-starring drama debuts at No. 4 with an estimated $14.47 million over the weekend, making a total of $20.2 million since opening on Wednesday.

"John Wick: Chapter 4" holds onto the runner-up spot with additional $14.6 million from 3,607 theaters. It has so far grossed $147 million domestically for a global tally of $269.1 million.

Last week's champion "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" slips into No. 3 despite glowing reviews and an A CinemaScore. It added an estimated $14.5 million over the three-day weekend for a domestic cume of $62.2 million.

"Scream VI" drops another spot to No. 5 with approximately $3.3 million from a three-day frame. It scored its own milestone as it hit $103.8 million in North America, a franchise record, not adjusted for inflation.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Apr. 07-Apr. 09, 2023):

1. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" - $146.4 million
2. "John Wick: Chapter 4" - $14.6 million
3. "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" - $14.5 million
4. "Air" - $14.47 million
5. "Scream VI" - $3.3 million
6. "His Only Son" - $3.2 million
7. "Creed III" - $2.8 million
8. "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" - $1.6 million
9. "Paint" - $750,000
10. "A Thousand and One" - $600,000