Let the easter egg hunt begin.
Lighting and adaptation of a Nintendo video game by Universal Super Mario Bros movie It got off to a sizzling start at the box office, and is now looking to score at least $141 million in a five-day domestic debut over the Easter long weekend after opening Wednesday with an impressive $31.7 million, according to early forms.
More optimistic critics are pointing out that the film could approach $150 million.
Super Mario It has every chance of becoming the number one blockbuster of 2023, if tracking is any indication. Not only does this PG-rated pic spark interest among families, but it’s appealing to generations of adults who grew up playing Nintendo’s popular Mario games (or those who still play).
The movie opened Wednesday to take advantage of spring break. It also has a presence in 70 markets overseas and opened to $8 million on Wednesday in select regions in the Asia-Pacific, including $5 million in China.
The animated adventure comedy follows Brooklyn plumbers and brothers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) as they are transported to the magical world of the Mushroom Kingdom and separated. The film’s audio cast also includes Keegan Michael Key, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Sebastian Maniscalco. Charles Martinet, who has voiced the characters Mario and Luigi in the Super Mario games for over three decades, also makes a special voice appearance.
The film is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelinek, from a screenplay by Matthew Vogel. It is jointly funded by Universal, the parent company of Chris Meledandri’s Illumination, and Nintendo.
Ben Affleck air It also opens on Wednesday and, based on early returns, looks to debut five days in the $16 million range after opening at $3.3 million on Wednesday.
air It’s historic in that it’s the first Amazon Studios movie to receive an exclusive theatrical release in thousands of theaters around the world before streaming on Prime Video on a yet-to-be-announced date. The film boasts glowing reviews and a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 97 percent. And it got a CinemaScore from the masses.
Chronicling the game-changing early days of Nike, this biographical sports marketing drama starring Matt Damon and Viola Davis is supported by Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures. It’s also the inaugural project from Affleck and Matt Damon Artists Equity, which the duo co-founded last year with RedBird Capital, and marks the first time Affleck has directed Damon in one of his films.
April 6, 7:15 a.m: updated with revised total
This story was originally published April 5 2:04 PM
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