Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros Movie had a tremendously successful opening day at the box office. In the UK, this has been the biggest opening day for 2023. This is an incredible start for a video game-related film.
Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, The Super Mario Bros Movie appears to have won over the majority of moviegoers. However, its ultimate success will be determined by box office revenue, as this marks Nintendo’s first movie release under its new brand. The film’s performance at the box office will likely influence the company’s decision to produce future movies based on video games.
With a brand such as Mario Bros, there are high expectations. It is Nintendo’s main mascot, after all. The character even supersedes Pikachu (Pokemon), Donkey Kong, Link (Legend of Zelda), Kirby and Samus Aran (Metroid).
Not more than a week ago, The Super Mario Bros movie was expected to get around an estimated $125 million at the weekend box office.
The Super Mario Bros Movie Starts Off With A Bang
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Deadline has reported that Mario has definitely won the audiences on its first-day release with the numbers to back it up. Its domestic box office sales in the US have reached $31.7 million.
International box office sales have reached $34.7 million. That totals $66.4 million, already more than half of the estimated $125 million for its weekend prediction. Considering this is just the opening day and it’s in the middle of the week, this is fantastic news for Nintendo and Illumination.
We still have to see how it performs during the weekend, but it is safe to say that it’s a success. It has now raised the five-day estimate to $141 million. Considering that the film had a budget of $100 million, it’s not far off that the film could get a good payday at the end of its run.
Because The Super Mario Bros Movie started off with a good week, it seems that Nintendo and Illumination will have an interesting future together. In an interview with Screen Rant, movie producer Chris Meledandri has said regarding their partnership with Nintendo:
Nintendo and Illumination have had a really rewarding collaboration. Mr. Miyamoto and his colleagues have invited me to join the board of directors of Nintendo, and we’re working together into the future with me in that capacity.
Creator of Mario Bros Shigeru Miyamoto, has also said:
Like Chris mentioned, there’s nothing we can share now. But I’m sure we will continue working on this partnership.
The Super Mario Bros Movie Could Open Up More Nintendo Films In The Future
Credit: Illumination
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If The Super Mario Bros Movie succeeds at the box office at the end of its run, then we could be looking at more Nintendo-related projects in the future. It’s not impossible to see that their partnership can make more films with Nintendo’s other known properties like Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Fire Emblem and Metroid.
While we’ve seen many animated Pokemon movies and even a live-action Detective Pikachu (2019) on the big screen, the brand is actually owned by three companies, namely Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures. The Super Mario Bros Movie is the first film that Nintendo was directly involved in.
A Super Mario Bros live-action film was made back in 1993 starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo. While the movie had a lot of references to the video game, it was not anything memorable nor anything recognizable to any fan of the franchise. The film was a box office flop and it actually prompted Nintendo not to be involved with Hollywood films for decades.
It’s a good thing that Nintendo was able to change their minds about making a film. And it also seems that they have made a good choice with Illumination too. With a hit possibly in their hands, it’s hard to tell what are the limits of what they can do.
Illumination is known for films like Despicable Me, Minions, The Secret Life of Pets, and Sing. They are currently working on new movies, namely Migration and Despicable Me 4.
What do you think of The Super Mario Bros Movie having a fantastic first day at the box office? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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