The “story” of the Super Mario Bros Movie is a hilarious one if you really look at how things went down. First, we found there would be a movie, and it would be done by Illumination, the team behind Despicable Me and the Minions films. An interesting pairing, and one that COULD lead to something special. Then, when we found out the voice cast in the most nonchalant way ever (a weird segment in a Nintendo Direct,) fans went wide-eyed, and for a good reason. I still maintain the cast wasn’t as good as it could’ve been and was done primarily for “name value,” especially with Chris Pratt being Mario.
Then, going into 2023, the film was anticipated but not exactly “hype-inducing” in most fans. But then, by April, when the film came out, it exploded across the globe. Before we knew it, the movie made over a billion dollars! It was one of the few films in 2023 to do that, and it was a film starring Mario! What does this have to do with right now? Well, a report from Deadline revealed something rather interesting.
In 2023, no film was more profitable than the Super Mario Bros Movie. Believe it. According to them, it grossed a net profit of about $559 million. In contrast, the No.1 box office film of the year, Barbie, only profited $421 million. Go figure, two films about a toy doll and a video game character made bank because they were made well!
…and no, Chris Pratt doesn’t sound like Mario. I will die on that hill.
