The upcoming release of the animated Super Mario Bros. movie will be a huge success for Universal Pictures and Illumination, with the video game adaptation currently on track to gross over $225 million over the long weekend. In cinemas starting tomorrow The Super Mario Bros. movie is definitely the movie of choice for families over Easter weekend, according to a report from deadlinecould lead to the project racking up the biggest box office openings of the year.
According to the report, these numbers look like “that’s $125 million+ in the US/Canada in 4,000 theaters Wednesday through Sunday, and another $100 million overseas.” The divisive Marvel outing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania currently holds the title of biggest opening of the year with a gross of $225.3 million, but it now looks like The Super Mario Bros. movie will take that crown.
It’s been 30 years since the Mario Brothers last hit the big screen, with fans no doubt hoping for (and thus flocking to theaters to see) something better than the 1993 live action effort starring Bob. Hoskins and John Leguizamo. Yes, it has since become something of a cult classic, but still.
The Super Mario Bros. movie sees the cherished characters brought to beautiful, animated life, and after the positive initial response, it looks like the movie will be on the year’s biggest hits list.
The movie Super Mario Bros. hits theaters April 5
Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic from a screenplay by Matthew Fogel, based on the hugely popular video game franchise and starring the cast of beloved Nintendo characters, The Super Mario Bros. movie follows the iconic Brooklyn plumber named Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom with a princess named Peach and an anthropomorphic mushroom named Toad to find Mario’s brother Luigi and save the world from a ruthless fire-breathing Koopa named Bowser.
The Super Mario Bros. movie stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, Sebastian Maniscalco as Foreman Spike and Charles Martinet, who voices Mario and Luigi in the Mario games, who will make several cameo appearances throughout the film. Additionally, Khary Payton voices the Penguin King, while Eric Bauza will reportedly appear as Wario.
Although some criticism has been leveled at the casting of Guardians of the Universe star Chris Pratt, co-director Aaron Horvath explained the thinking behind the choice and why the actor is perfect for the role of the animated Mario. “It made perfect sense to us. He’s really good at playing a blue-collar hero with a lot of heart,” the filmmaker explained. “For the way Mario is characterized in our movie, he’s perfect for it.”
The Super Mario Bros. movie is scheduled for release in the United States on April 5, 2023.