The Super Mario Bros. film has broken box office records despite deeply mixed reviews from critics.
The film arrived in cinemas on April 5 in the UK, and has already racked up more than £376 million in ticket takings globally. This makes The Super Mario Bros. Movie the highest-grossing animated film of all time over its first days and opening weekend.
2019’s Frozen 2 held this record previously, and the figures also make The Super Mario Bros. Movie the fastest-earning film of 2023 so far, surpassing Ant-Man, and the Wasp: Quantumania.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie reviews
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a classic case of audiences disagreeing with critics. It currently sits at a barely passable 57 per cent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, meaning just over half of critics gave it a mildly positive review or better. However, it has a 96 per cent approval rating from audiences.
Several prominent UK critics have pilloried the film, slapping it with a one- or two-star review and adjectives such as “lazy”, “inane”, and “thin”.
The film’s early figures suggest it is on track to surpass the current highest-grossing video game movie adaptation to date, 2016’s Warcraft. That film grossed £353 million, and was buoyed by its popularity in China.
Warcraft earned $24 million (£19m) in the US and Canada over its opening weekend, compared to $146 million (£117m) for The Super Mario Bros. Movie in the US over its first weekend.
It is also yet to be released in Mario’s home, Japan. The film releases there on April 28.
Should you see The Super Mario Bros. movie?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie stars Chris Pratt as Mario, with Jack Black as his nemesis, Bowser, and Charlie Day as Mario’s brother, Luigi.
As in the games, Mario travels to the Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who has been captured by Bowser. The film has been criticised for its thin story, while fans cite the wealth of “Easter egg” references to Nintendo video games as a highlight.
I’ve seen #SuperMarioBrosMovie three times now and I can say it is exactly what you’d expect in the best way possible. So much fan service/Easter eggs and was made with every audience imaginable that has ever loved Mario thoughtfully considered pic.twitter.com/d23PPnxxQm
— Jimmy Tickles (@NickEdwardEvans) April 2, 2023
Whatever side you land on, the film is mercifully short at 92 minutes.
This is the second game based directly on the Mario games, following 1993’s disastrous Super Mario Bros. It was both a critical and commercial failure, and it failed to recoup its estimated $48 million (£38.6m) budget at the box office, grossing less than $40 million (£32m).
Nintendo stocks jumped by almost five per sent following the news of The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s success.
However, among video game fans, all eyes are on The Legends of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, due for release on May 12.
