‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ races to first place with rocket start at box office

It was game over for live-action titles at the domestic box office this weekend as Nintendo and Universal Pictures’ “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” opened in first place with $146.4 million collected over a three-day period and $204.6 million amassed over its entire five-day launch, according to studio estimates.

Based on the popular video-game series of the same name, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” exceeded its lofty box office projections, which anticipated that the family film would collect about $140 million. Internationally, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” launched at $173 million for a global cumulative of $377 million.

Domestically, the blockbuster shattered multiple records, notching the biggest opening of 2023 (previously Disney’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” with $106.1 million); the highest-grossing five-day launch of all time (previously Paramount Pictures’ “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” with $200.077 million); and the most successful debut ever for a video game adaptation (previously “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” with $72.1 million).

It also marks the the biggest opening haul for Chris Meledandri’s Illumination animation studio (home of the Minions) and the second highest-grossing domestic debut of any animated film. This is the 11th first-place launch for Illumination, according to the studio.

Box-office experts forecast a massive weekend for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” after the animated comedy racked up $31.7 million domestically on opening day. (That’s nearly $11 million more than Disney’s live-action “Super Mario Bros.” film made in its entire 1993 run, according to measurement firm Comscore.)

Rounding out the top three at the domestic box office this weekend are Lionsgate’s “John Wick: Chapter 4,” which added $14.6 million in its third weekend for a North American total of $147 million; and Paramount Pictures’ “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” which grossed $14.5 million in its sophomore outing for a North American haul of $62.3 million.

Co-directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” boasts a star-studded voice cast, including Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and Chris Pratt as Mario.

The feel-good flick received a mediocre 56% rotten rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and a markedly better A grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore.

“Fortunately, this loud, hectic movie doesn’t overstay its welcome, but it wouldn’t have the material to last a second longer,” writes film critic Katie Walsh for Tribune News Service.

“It’s bright, busy, inoffensive and exactly the opposite of the weird, dark, edgy 1993 movie adaptation. That may be better for the business of Mario, but it’s not exactly terribly interesting either.”

Also new to theaters this weekend was Amazon Studios’ “Air,” which debuted in fourth place with $14.47 million over a three-day period; The business drama about Nike’s landmark shoe deal with basketball legend Michael Jordan — which will begin streaming on Amazon Prime Video after an unspecified, exclusive theatrical release — stars Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Tucker, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans and Viola Davis.

Directed by Affleck, “Air” scored an outstanding 92% fresh rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes and an A grade from audiences polled by CinemaScore. Across its entire five-day opening, “Air” posted $20.2 million.

“Boasting a punchy, phone-slamming, expletive-hurling, heavily Aaron Sorkin-indebted script by Alex Convery, ‘Air’ is an ode to the art of the landmark celebrity-endorsement deal,” writes Times film critic Justin Chang.

“It’s also something of a feature-length Nike commercial, albeit a deft and entertaining one. Mostly, it’s a tribute to classically American values like branding and publicity, ambition and swagger, wealth and more wealth (the Air Jordan line has earned billions and counting) and good, old-fashioned competitive cunning.”

Opening in wide release next weekend are Soli Deo Gloria Releasing’s “Everything Went Fine,” Bleecker Street Media’s “Mafia Mamma,” Briarcliff Entertainment’s “Sweetwater,” Crunchyroll’s “Suzume,” Universal Pictures’ “Renfield” and Screen Gems’ “The Pope’s Exorcist.”