Mario number one!
In under a week, Universal and Illumination’s Nintendo video game adaptationThe Super Mario Bros. Movie has already become the top-grossing release of 2023 to date at the global box office with $508.7 million in worldwide ticket sales through Thursday.
At the domestic box office, Super Mario knocked off Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ($212.2 million), the year’s previous best earner, on Monday.
Through Thursday, Super Mario‘s North American gross stood at $260.3 million as it heads into its second weekend of play. Overseas, it has earned a stellar $248.4 million.
Super Mario, which has also passed up the Ant Man 2‘s global gross of $474.4 million, continues to shatter records, including now ranking as the top-grossing video game adaptation of all time.
Elsewhere, a palooza of new movies hit North American cinemas this weekend in what marks one of the most varied and crowded lineups since the pandemic struck.
Universal’s modern-day Dracula vampire comedy Renfield and Screen Gem’s supernatural thriller The Pope’s Exorcist are already finding themselves in a close race (many analysts believe Renfield will prevail).
Renfield, starring Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage, started off with $900,000 in Thursday previews, followed by $850,000 for Russell Crowe-starrer Pope’s Exorcist. Tracking suggests the two films will open in the $8 million to $10 million range.
A wild card is anime maestro Makoto Shinkai’s coming-of-age anime adventure Suzume. A hit in its home territory of Japan late last year, the film is now rolling internationally after playing in competition at the 2023 Berlinale. Anime has been doing big business in U.S. theaters, and some analysts think Suzume could open anywhere from $5 million to $8 million. The movie, from Crunchyroll-Sony, grossed a promising $680,000 in previews.
More to come.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
HollyWood
