Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie is off to a strong start at the domestic box office. It earned $146 million in the opening weekend and $204.6 million in the first five days, per Variety. Internationally, it brought in $173 million for $377 million thus far.
Created by Illumination, Nintendo and Universal, the film is an animated adaptation of the popular video game series. It stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong and Jack Black as Bowser. The story sees Mario arriving in the Mushroom Kingdom for the first time and embarking on a quest to save Luigi from Bowser.
Though projected to earn $86 million in its first weekend and $125 million in five days, the numbers were revised as time passed. As Jim Orr, Universal’s president for domestic distribution, said, “The box office just kept growing and growing. This result speaks to the extraordinary love for these Nintendo characters and the storytelling from Illumination.”
The film’s success opens the door for a sequel, though Nintendo is yet to confirm the same. As for the video game series, a new game hasn’t been announced, but creator Shigeru Miyamoto advised fans to stay tuned for future Nintendo Directs.
