Deadline has reported that The Super Mario Bros. Movie has officially earned $1 billion dollars from total international box office as of April 30. It’s now among the top 50 highest-grossing films of all time, and in the top ten of highest grossing animated films. And it’s been out for less than a month!
The latest push comes from its release in Japan, the birthplace of Mario and home to Nintendo. The film earned over $14 million, making it the biggest opening weekend in Japan for an animated movie, and the single biggest Saturday box office for Universal.
Aside from the gigantic US market, Mexico represents a sizable fanbase turning out for the mustachioed plumber, raking in over $70 million.
Produced by animation studio Illumination and based on the iconic gaming IP, the Mario movie was expected to do well. But it’s overperforming in nearly every market and category, and breaking records for animated films and video game adaptations.
Nintendo has confirmed that we will be seeing more films based on their gaming properties, though a Mario sequel has not been formally announced (yet). The actors who provide voices for Luigi (Charlie Day) and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) have both expressed interest in doing starring spinoff films, such as a movie based on the Luigi’s Mansion series, and Donkey Kong Country.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is currently in theaters. It’s rated PG.
