The blockbuster movie “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has brought a huge comeback to family box office success. Packed with fun, adventure and thrilled scenes, the movie has enjoyed an estimated $146.4 million over the weekend at the theaters in the United States and Canada, thus grossing over $204.6 million since its Wednesday debut. With a PG rating and an estimated budget of $100 million from Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo, the movie has also received tremendous success overseas with a $173 million total.
This clearly indicates that family movies have made their big return, although analysts have been cautious about it. The success of this movie has given a fresh start to the cinemas, and many are hopeful that Disney will be able to deliver an animated hit theatrically and make box-office a sure thing once again. Disney is set to release two animated movies in 2021: “Elemental” in June and “Wish” in November.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was directed by Chris Meledandri, founder of Illumination Entertainment. The movie has resonated among certain demographics, and this was no accident as marketers used the tremendous promotional oppurtunities including broadcasted videos and stunt on the “The Tonight Show”. Universal Studios Hollywood has also seen tremendous success with its Super Nintendo World attraction, with early-entry tickets sold out every day since February 17.
Amazon also participated in this success with the release of its well-reviewed movie “Air”, directed by Ben Affleck and a product of Artists Equity. Amazon’s theatrical release came as a part of their effort to compete for top-talent, have the movie seen by big screens and potentially its streaming service Prime Video. It collected an estimated $20 million since Wednesday and about $130 million for the rights of the movie.
In conclusion, the success of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has seen a triumph return of family movies in the box office. With future releases from Disney, Amazon and Universal Studios ahead of us, it is expected that the industry will continue to boost in the upcoming months.
