Mario Time is still not over, as the animated film has broken another record, becoming the first film of 2023 to pass the $1 billion mark at the global box office.
ADVERTISEMENTIn less than a month of release, the global haul for The Super Mario Bros. Movie has surpassed $1 billion, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
The Universal-Nintendo videogame adaptation dominated the month of April in theatres, smashing records along the way, and has become the first film of 2023 to pass the coveted $1 billion mark at the global box office.
It is also only the fifth film of the post-pandemic era to pass $1 billion worldwide, and the 11th animated film in history to achieve this feat.
For reference, the highest-grossing animated films of all time are:
1 The Lion King (remake) (2019) - $1,657,713,459
2 Frozen II (2019) -$1,450,026,933
3 Frozen (2013) -$1,290,000,000
4 Incredibles 2 (2018) -$1,242,805,359
5 Minions (2015) -$1,159,398,397
6 Toy Story 4 (2019) -$1,073,394,593
7 Toy Story 3 (2010) -$1,066,970,811
8 Despicable Me 3 (2017) -$1,034,799,409
9 Finding Dory (2016) -$1,028,570,889
10 Zootopia (2016) -$1,025,521,689
The Super Mario Bros. Movie currently stands at $1,022,473,825 globally, and is still playing in theatres, meaning that it will doubtlessly move up the rankings in the coming weeks. That said, the release of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 kicks off the summer movie calendar and is expected to move Mario to the side.
Still, it’s an impressive feat for a soulless corporate cash grab with little plot to speak of and some low-effort voicing from the likes of Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy and Seth Rogen.
Universal thought they had a can't-fail franchise kick-starter on their hands and they have been proven right. Expect a sequel announcement any day now. Jack Black, who voices the evil Bowser (and is one of the only redeeming things about the film), has also stated an interest in having the ubiquitous Pedro Pascal (who had previously played Mario in a Saturday Night Live sketch) voicing the character Wario, who could serve as the sequel's main villain.
Nintendo has already stated that there would be more films based on their properties – even if they have yet to confirm the inevitable sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie – so you can also expect Donkey Kong to be in the works sometime soon.
