The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal Pictures/Illumination image)
April 30, 2023
Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment’s box office hit, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, is now a $1 billion mega hit. The animated movie, as expected, became the top-grossing animated movie in its fourth weekend of release with a projected $40 million in ticket sales through April 30 — easily topping previous record holder, Incredibles 2, at $28.4 million in 2018.
The movie also tops the 2015 fourth weekend box office of Universal’s Jurassic World at $29.2 million. It ranks No. 3 all-time among Illumination releases, including Minions ($1.16 billion) and Despicable Me 3 ($1.03 billion).
At No. 2 through the weekend: Warner Bros. Pictures’ Evil Dead Rise, which added $12.3 million in ticket sales to up its two-week domestic total past $44.5 million.
“Super Mario Bros.” easily held off other box office newcomers and returnees, which included three Lionsgate releases: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, based on Judy Blume’s classic and groundbreaking novel, took in an estimated $6.8 million across 3,343 North American screens; Finnish World War 2 drama Sisu with an estimated $3.25 million in ticket sales; and John Wick: Chapter 4 — the latter adding $5 million and passing the North American box office of predecessor John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum at an estimated $176.16 million.
Other notable box office results included the 40th anniversary re-release of Disney/Marvel Studios’ Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, which added another $4.7 million in ticket sales.