The Super Mario Bros. Movie was one of the biggest films of 2023, but it isn’t the first project based on Nintendo’s Mario that has broken box office records, proving why the video game franchise is the best at producing movie adaptations. The animated adventure comedy film, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and written by Matthew Fogel, premiered in theaters in April 2023 and was an immediate hit (although it received mixed reviews from critics). It ultimately grossed $1.362 billion at the worldwide box office and surpassed numerous established records, much to the surprise of many.
The 2023 movie’s broken records include the biggest worldwide opening weekend for an animated film with $375.6 million (previously set by Frozen II with $358.5 million), the first movie based on a video game to earn over $1 billion, and Illumination’s highest-grossing film (surpassing Minions, which made $1.159 billion). Additionally, the Mario adaptation was 2023’s second-highest-grossing movie and the third-highest-grossing animated film of all time. To say that it was a success is an understatement. Following its theatrical run, Netflix added The Super Mario Bros. Movie to its library, where it continues to soar and top the charts.
Both Super Mario Bros. Movies Were The Highest-Grossing Video Game Movies
Super Mario Bros.: The Movie (1993)
Loosely based on the video game series of the same name, Super Mario Bros.: The Movie was the first film adaptation of the iconic brotherly plumber duo as they face off with the evil President Koopa. When Luigi’s crush, an archeology student named Daisy, is kidnapped and dragged along with other girls into another dimension connected to New York City, Mario and Luigi rush to their rescue. To save her – and both worlds – the brothers will have to navigate a strange dystopian city ruled by a self-elected president named Koopa.
- Release Date
- May 28, 1993
- Cast
- Bob Hoskins , John Leguizamo , Dennis Hopper , Samantha Mathis , Fisher Stevens , Fiona Shaw , Richard Edson
- Runtime
- 104 Minutes
- Franchise(s)
- Super Mario Bros.
One Mario movie proved why the franchise is the leader in video game film adaptations 20 years before The Super Mario Bros. Movie broke records — Super Mario Bros.: The Movie. The 1993 live-action film, directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel and written by Parker Bennett, Terry Runté, and Ed Solomon, revolves around Mario and Luigi’s journey to save Princess Daisy from President Kuppa. It was Nintendo’s Mario franchise’s first movie adaptation, and even though it was considered a critical failure and box office bomb, it was still the highest-grossing film based on a video game at the time of its release.
Super Mario Bros.: The Movie grossed $38.9 million at the box office against a $42-48 million budget. Despite its failures in the grand scheme of cinema, the 1993 film became the highest-grossing video game adaptation following its premiere. Unfortunately, Street Fighter soon surpassed it in 1994 with $99.4 million. But 19 years later, the Mario franchise reclaimed the top spot with The Super Mario Bros. Movie when it earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, significantly surpassing the previous record holder — Pokémon Detective Pikachu, which had grossed $450.1 million in 2019.
Mario Has The Longest Gap Between His Highest-Grossing Video Game Movie Record
Nintendo’s Mario series isn’t the first franchise to hold the number one spot on the highest-grossing movies based on video games list on two separate occasions — Pokémon, one of Nintendo’s other properties, also achieved this significant feat. However, Mario had the longest gap between its records. Pokémon: The First Movie, written by Kunihiko Yuyama and written by Takeshi Shudo, premiered in 1998 and depicted Mewtwo’s escape from a lab and subsequent creation of a challenge to prove he is the best Pokémon. The 1998 Japanese anime film ultimately grossed $172.7 million at the worldwide box office.
Twenty-one years after Pokémon: The First Movie broke the record for the highest-grossing video game movie (and was surpassed by other films that followed), Pokémon Detective Pikachu reclaimed the top spot for Pokémon with $450.1 million. While only 21 years passed between the two projects, it was 30 years before the Mario franchise broke the record for the second time.Super Mario Bros.: The Movie premiered in 1993, while Nintendo released The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023.
One Item From The Super Mario Bros. Movie Makes A Nintendo Cinematic Universe So Much Easier
An important part of The Super Mario Bros. Movie can easily provide an in-story explanation when incorporating other Nintendo games into the universe.
Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 Could Extend Mario’s Box Office Record
Given that the previous record holder for the highest-grossing video game movie adaptation of all time was Pokémon Detective Pikachu with $450.1 million, it will be hard for any film to beat The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s $1.362 billion box office. However, if any project can do so, it’s the Mario franchise. Following the success of the 2023 animated adventure comedy film, Nintendo has expressed interest in developing sequels and spinoffs. Although the studio has yet to confirm any additional projects, a sequel is inevitable, and it could beat the first movie’s box office and break another record.
If (and when) Nintendo releases The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 and if it grosses more than $1.362 billion at the box office, Mario would be the first video game franchise to claim the top spot on the highest-grossing video game films list on three separate occasions. It first broke the record in 1993 with Super Mario Bros.: The Movie. Thirty years later, Mario reclaimed its title with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and now Nintendo has the opportunity to extend the franchise’s box office record.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Mario jumps to the big screen in The Super Mario Bros Movie, directed by Teen Titans Go! collaborators Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and more appear in this animated comedy that pits the characters in an all-new adventure set in the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. You can buy The Super Mario Bros. Movie right now for $13, down from its usual price of $20.
- Release Date
- April 5, 2023
- Cast
- Chris Pratt , Charlie Day , Jack Black , Anya Taylor-Joy , Keegan Michael Key , Seth Rogen
- Runtime
- 92 Minutes
- Franchise(s)
- Super Mario Bros.
