There was no chance The Super Mario Bros. Movie was going to be anything other than a smash hit, given that it’s based on an iconic property, hails from an animation powerhouse, and boasts a bevvy of star names among its voice cast.
And yet, the rate at which the video game adaptation exploded out of the blocks took everyone by surprise, to the extent that it’s only taken a week for the film to end up as the highest-grossing installment the genre has ever seen. Of course, it says a lot about the artform in general that only six films based on console properties have ever crossed $400 million globally, but that doesn’t make The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s achievement any less impressive.
Duncan Jones’ Warcraft has held onto the record for the last six years after bringing in $439 million, taking over from Jake Gyllenhaal’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which also set the benchmark for six summers. However, with a running total of $434 million as of yesterday, Chris Pratt and the gang will have shattered that benchmark by the end of today.
Not only that, but The Super Mario Bros. Movie has only been playing in theaters for a week, so it’s got a long way to go. By the time the dust settles, then, it may have ended up so far in front of the competition that the only thing capable of even coming close to matching its numbers is the inevitable sequel. And to think, all that backlash against Pratt’s casting, and he’s only gone an headlined the top-earning entry in a genre’s history.
