Super Mario Bros

Source: Universal

‘Super Mario Bros. The Movie’

After its first day of release Universal/Illumination’s family tentpole The Super Mario Bros. Movie has grossed an estimated $66.4m in a timely global launch heading into the holiday weekend that has already set a string of records.

The animation has amassed $34.7m from 44 territories led by a $5.9m opening day in Mexico, $4.8m in the UK and Ireland, $4.7m in China, $2.8m in Germany, $2.2m in Spain, $2m in France, and $1.4m in Italy.

Elsewhere the film earned $1.3m in Central America, $1.1m in both Taiwan and Australia, $810,000 in Colombia, $745,000 in Brazil, $700,000 in Hong Kong, $460,000 in Argentina, and $390,000 in Netherlands.

This weekend Universal will roll out the tentpole in 70 markets across more than 20,000 locations and 70,000 screens.

International box office combined with a $31.7m haul Wednesday opening day haul in North America, where the three-day and five-day weekends are estimated to bring in approximately $92m and $141m, respectively.

These are huge numbers which will encourage distribution and exhibition at a time when there has been a lack of family fare.

Mexico, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, and Netherlands delivered the biggest opening days of all time for a Universal title, while audiences in the UK and Ireland, Spain and Germany drove the biggest ever opening days for an animation.

The film scored the biggest opening day of 2023 thus far in the UK and Ireland, Spain, France, and Germany, where no film has scored a bigger opening day since Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker in 2019.

Overall The Super Mario Bros. Movie was big enough to deliver the biggest animated opening days in 11 markets: Germany, Spain, Argentina, Belgium, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Central America, Austria, Norway, Iceland, and Uruguay.

In other records, Mexico delivered the second biggest animation opening day ever behind Toy Story 4, while the UK and Ireland produced Universal’s fourth biggest opening day of all time, and its biggest Wednesday ever.

In encouraging news from China, the tentpole opened in third place during the Qing Ming Festival holiday for the biggest opening day by a Hollywood animation since the start of the pandemic in 2020, and the second biggest opening day for a Hollywood title in 2023 behind Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania.

The 9.4 rating on Maoyan is the highest for a Hollywood animation in the last five years. It also scored 9.5 on TPP.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie also produced the second-biggest opening day for an April release in Germany behind Avengers: Endgame, and in Spain generated the biggest opening day since the start of the pandemic by admissions, and the biggest April opening day ever.

France produced the second-biggest April opening day behind 2006’s Ice Age 2, and the biggest opening day for an illumination title without a school holiday.

Italy produced the top opening day for a spring animation and for a videogame adaptation as the film claimed 70% of the market.

Central America reported the second-biggest opening day ever behind Avengers: Endgame and more than doubled the comps of Minions and the Despicable Me series. This was the biggest opening day for Illumination and Universal animation titles, as well as the biggest opening day for a videogame adaptation and an animation in April.

Australia produced the biggest Illumination opening day of all-time and the number one animated April opening. Hong Kong also delivered the biggest opening day for a Universal animation and for an April animation.

Argentina generated the biggest ever opening day for an animated title not on a holiday in terms of admissions, and Netherlands the best opening day for a videogame adaptation.