Netflix's movie charts tend to be a bit of a revolving door – not least because the giant streamer has so many new original movies of its own to add as the year unfolds, a key part of its approach to winning out as the best streaming service going.
However, this year there's been one standout title in the list that simply hasn't budged, and by Netflix's own tracking it has now been in its top 10 for a staggering 37 weeks running. Yes, it's The Super Mario Bros Movie.
The movie hit theatres back in April 2023 and was an immediate smash hit for Nintendo and Universal, with a sequel already in the works. It also might be able to claim credit for being one of the first arrivals in a wave of movies and shows that demonstrated that videogame adaptations might be about to replace superhero movies as a dominant new cultural force.
That success has clearly been sustained, too, with the movie immediately shooting up the charts when it was added to Netflix, and basically not moving since then – which makes sense. After all, this is the definition of a family-friendly movie, full of fun moments and with a lovely art style.
It also ties into one of the most beloved gaming franchises of all time and one that has captured the imaginations of multiple different generations thanks to a long succession of stunning Mario games over the years. You can see that sort of affection play out in the audience score that The Super Mario Bros. Movie boasts on Rotten Tomatoes, with a coveted 95% rating.
That said, it's worth touching on the fact that critics weren't quite so generous, with a middling 59% score – which largely came down to how safe some reviewers felt the movie played things.
It is indeed pretty straight-down-the-line and doesn't necessarily pack in any great surprises. Still, that score feels harsh, and new views might agree that the truth is probably somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.
The good news is that we don't have any indication that the movie will leave Netflix anytime soon, so you can get it on your watchlist if you want to see what all the fuss is about.
