‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ breaks box office records for an animated movie

After $58 million in previews and $146 million in its opening weekend, ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ raked in over $204 million at the domestic box office, smashing records in the process.

What records did it break?

In terms of international numbers, the film accumulated another $173 million, placing it at $377 million globally, giving the film the top worldwide opening of all time for an animated film.

‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ currently has the biggest opening weekend of the year, beating out ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ with $106 million.

It’s also the second best North American debut for an animated film, overtaking ‘Finding Dory’ with $135.1 million, as well as the biggest opening for a video game adaptation.

Finally, it marks the highest-grossing debut for an Illumination film, surpassing ‘Minions’ with $115 million.

What are the reviews?

The movie isn’t a hit among critics and currently sits at 56 percent on RottenTomatoes.

“What seems to have been forgotten is creating an engaging story,” said film critic Claudia Puig. “It’s bland, uninteresting and cobbled together.”

However, fans seem to be loving what the film has to offer, even scoring an A on CinemaScore.

“‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ is bombastic, silly and full of energy,” said Shawn Edwards. “Driven by spectacular voice work provided by an A-list cast the film gets props for both being able to appeal to fans of the game and just regular viewers.

“It’s a very fun watch.”

A renewed interest in cinema

While the general public’s interest in going to the cinemas has decreased, these high numbers are a huge win for theaters.

“‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s’ strong performance with the family audience this weekend is just another example of the consistent consumer enthusiasm for seeing great films on the big screen,” said Wanda Gierhart Fearing, Cinemark’s chief marketing and content officer.

“Moviegoers have demonstrated time and time again that they crave the immersive, cinematic experience only theaters can provide.”

Entertainment researcher David A. Gross attributes the film’s success to its wide demographic, which not only includes children, but older individuals as well.