Mario has always smashed blocks; now he's also smashing the box office.
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" had the biggest opening weekend of 2023 so far, and there
are lots of reasons why.
The "Super Mario Bros." franchise began way back in the medium's infancy, with the 1981
arcade release "Donkey Kong."
It officially blew up in popularity with the worldwide release of the Nintendo Entertainment
System, known in Japan as the Famicom, in the mid-'80s.
Even then, critics were sure that "Super Mario Bros." would be an international phenomenon.
Mario has remained a staple of Nintendo's carefully curated brand ever since.
The series has spawned countless spin-offs, from "Mario Kart" to "Mario Party."
Some of these side projects rank among the best-selling video game franchises of all
time, apart from the broader Mario umbrella that is.
More than 800 million Mario video game units have been sold, with the series' most recent
entry, "Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury" on Nintendo Switch, selling just under 10
million units in 2021.
The series has been prime material for adaptation into an animated film for a very long time.
Its colorful aesthetics, unique world, and lovable cast of characters not only appeal
to kids, but to nostalgic adults who grew up with the franchise's earlier entries.
It's no surprise that the series' video game success has translated to its box office win.
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" isn't Nintendo's first brush with translating their most beloved
franchise to film.
In 1993, the live-action "Super Mario Bros." movie starred Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo
as Mario and Luigi, respectively.
Similar to the Illumination movie, the film follows the two blue-collar brothers working
as plumbers in Brooklyn before they're sent through an interdimensional portal to another
world inhabited by a kingdom of dinosaurs.
But things get pretty different from there.
Notably, the film was a critical failure and bombed at the box office.
The New York Times said that the film's final 30 minutes were nearly unwatchable and criticized
its inability to capture the magic of the original games.
"Super Mario Bros." was even hated by the cast, with Hoskins naming the film as one
of his biggest regrets.
That said, Leguizamo has embraced it in recent years.
"I knew you had been in the Super Mario Bros. movie."
"Shh!"
"With, but, with uh…"
"No, I'm proud of it.
I'm proud of it now."
The 30-year-old film has developed something of a cult audience, though.
Directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel told Variety that midnight screenings held
at Quentin Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema helped them feel proud of the work they'd done.
Though Morton admitted that it might have turned out differently if Nintendo was more involved.
Nevertheless, hardcore "Super Mario Bros." fans were optimistic about Illumination's
chances given that Nintendo is very careful with its IP nowadays, with many of them excited
enough to see the film in theaters.
There are lots of adults who grew up playing titles such as "Super Mario World" and "Super
Mario 64."
Although Illumination's more original projects, like the "Despicable Me" films or "Sing,"
may largely appeal to kids, there's a whole generation of grown-ups who were curious to
see their favorite childhood games get referenced in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
Critics seem to be noting the film's dedication to appealing to the franchise's longtime fans.
They've noted that the movie is focused on channeling nostalgia for the games while also
opening up the world to new audiences.
This is arguably a strength that Illumination has lacked with their previous adaptations
of Dr. Seuss's story books.
Both "The Grinch" and "The Lorax" were criticized for their lack of faithfulness to the source material.
Thankfully, faithfulness is the name of the game in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
The film's visuals beautifully recapture the aesthetics of recent "Mario" video game titles.
It's also quite the far cry from the 1993 film, which took quite a few major creative
liberties with the design of characters including Bowser and Toad.
Illumination's film remains true to the characters that video game fans have come to know and love.
Even though Illumination has been criticized at times, they've never failed to release
a film that does well commercially.
The studio debuted in 2010 with the original "Despicable Me," which introduced audiences
to the Minions, who are either adorable or annoying, depending on who you ask.
They've become the company's mascots, and the spinoff film "Minions" ranks in the top
30 highest-grossing films of all time.
Most of the company's success has been attributed to their low-cost production, with Illumination
CEO Chris Meledandri listing off their secrets to The New York Times:
"Very few management layers, clear decision-making, shortening the length of time you spend developing
a movie — it can be done."
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" does its utmost to appeal to not only fans of the series'
more recent entries, but longtime followers from the arcade days.
Whether it's through iconic '80s needle drops, memorable enemies from the franchise, or broader
meta references to the series' history, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" is a blast for anyone
who grew up playing "Mario" games.
Some critics have actually knocked the movie for emphasizing references and visual fidelity
to the games over plot, character development, and themes, comparing it unfavorably to other
game-centric films like "Wreck-It Ralph."
"It's grown-up stuff.
You wouldn't understand."
That said, no "Super Mario Bros." game has ever really been acclaimed for its story,
aside from maybe RPG titles such as "Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door" or "Mario and
Luigi: Superstar Saga."
Many of those who care enough to see Mario and his friends translated to the screen likely
won't mind a paper-thin story, so to speak.
The appeal of the games has always been visuals and action, and the movie has those to spare.
Sequences like Mario and Luigi's early scenes in Brooklyn or Mario's introduction to the
marketplace of the Mushroom Kingdom are chock full of references and Easter eggs.
And they're not just nods to Mario's own series of games, but also Nintendo's other properties.
For instance, one scene in Mario's bedroom features references to "Star Fox," "F-Zero,"
and "Kid Icarus" in the span of a few minutes.
The movie likewise pokes fun at some tropes of the "Super Mario Bros." franchise.
As Mario and Toad try to sneak into Peach's castle, they're stopped by two Toad guards
who smugly tell them, "the princess is in another castle," a line players of the original
NES game will surely recognize.
Every viewing of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" is likely to result in spotting a background
cameo, callback, or visual flourish that will excite anyone who's familiar with the "Super
Mario Bros." series.
For gamers who love getting 100% completion in the games they play, "The Super Mario Bros.
Movie" begs for repeat viewings.
Prior to the release of the trailers, all fans had to judge "The Super Mario Bros. Movie"
by was the film's official cast announcement, which was revealed during a Nintendo Direct
presentation in September 2021.
Among the most controversial of those reveals was Chris Pratt as the voice Mario, replacing
the character's longtime voice actor Charles Martinet.
Fans were also divided over the announcements of Charlie Day as Mario's brother Luigi, as
well as Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong.
Many complained about the blanket decision to cast Hollywood stars rather than professional
voice actors.
Pratt said that he understood fans' concerns, but urged,
"Go watch the movie and, and, and then we can talk."
Even with some fans' hesitations about the cast, it seems they turned up to the theater
to see for themselves, just like Pratt requested.
While some critics felt that Pratt and Day still weren't right for the characters, others
felt they delivered with loyalty, originality, and comedic chemistry.
Even Kotaku noted the beauty of Martinet voicing Mario and Luigi's dad in a moment that somewhat
passes the torch to the two actors.
While other voice actors have divided audiences, Jack Black has been receiving nothing but
goodwill for portraying the film's antagonist and scene-stealer, Bowser.
Fans were excited by the announcement that Black was joining the film, but they were
even more thrilled when the film's first trailer showed that he brought his A-game to play
the king of the Koopa army.
But none of the previews truly captured Black's fantastic performance.
The trailers portrayed Bowser as a terrifying threat to the Mushroom Kingdom, but in the
actual film it's revealed that Bowser is pining for Princess Peach's hand in marriage, making
for some devastatingly funny moments.
In one standout scene, Bowser sits at a piano to sing an ode to Princess Peach, called "Peaches,"
and it's a brilliant use of Black's musical talent.
"Peaches" began to climb the iTunes charts only a few days after the movie's release.
Black even stars in a music video for the ballad, fully clad in Bowser-inspired garb.
It's a big screen showcase
Illumination has on occasion been criticized for its storytelling, overuse of needle drops
of popular songs, and low-brow humor, which is never more present than in the "Despicable
Me" franchise.
But the animation studio has always excelled in its visuals, which often come to life more
brilliantly on a movie screen than they would on smaller screens.
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie," in this regard, is no exception.
If anything, this is a quality that Illumination shares with Nintendo, which is often praised
for creating video games with colorful, vibrant visuals and gameplay but lackluster stories
and narrative themes.
Frankly, the film overdelivers when it comes to its action sequences.
These moments are as equally fluid in their animation as they are overwhelming in a visual sense.
Take, for instance, the film's Rainbow Road scene.
It offers an action-packed, "Mad Max: Fury Road"-style battle between the Kong army and
Bowser's forces, while playing off tropes and references from the "Mario Kart" franchise.
Anya Taylor-Joy, who voices Peach, even drew a comparison between this film and her upcoming
portrayal of Furiosa in the "Fury Road" prequel.
"Bizarre that the two characters in my filmography that have the most in common are Princess
Peach and Furiosa."
Early reviews of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" weren't especially kind about its cinematic qualities.
While some rightly appreciated the film as a love letter to Nintendo's biggest franchise,
others were critical of the plot, soundtrack, and humor.
It was hovering around a 50% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though that has increased
a bit since.
Some critics even labeled "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" as one of Illumination's worst offerings.
That certainly came as quite the surprise for hardcore "Super Mario Bros." fans, who
started worrying that Illumination would wash out the franchise's most appealing qualities.
But lots of moviegoers also seemed to ignore the early criticism.
Ultimately, fans had to be gratified that Illumination did a good job faithfully adapting
their beloved franchise, especially compared to the 1993 live-action film.
While it may not be enough to woo folks who are unfamiliar with the games, distrust of
those early reviews convinced skeptical Nintendo fans to check it out for themselves.
Video game-inspired movies have had a rocky past, making Nintendo hesitant to license
their intellectual property to studios eager to adapt the company's best-selling games.
Longtime Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who created Mario, told Variety,
"We were fearful of all the failure of past IP adaptations."
Thankfully, the tide has turned lately thanks to more faithful adaptations of many video games.
One of those successes has been the live-action "Sonic the Hedgehog" films starring Ben Schwartz
as the voice of the titular blue blur.
Early trailers concerned hardcore fans of the series due to Sonic's design.
This resulted in a last-minute delay so that Paramount Pictures could redesign Sonic's
look to more closely resemble his appearance in the games.
Once the film debuted, audience response to the movie and its 2022 sequel was extremely positive.
Even more recently, HBO had a bona fide hit on its hands with its adaptation of Naughty
Dog's "The Last of Us," which worried fans who were devoted to the original game's actors.
Nevertheless, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey proved themselves to audiences, securing the
show a second season renewal only two weeks into airing.
By then, fans likely felt better about "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" living up to expectations.
Given the box office failure of the 1993 "Super Mario Bros." film, Nintendo was much more
hands-on in terms of making sure Illumination's animated film would represent the company's
brand and be consistent with the Mario of the games.
As a result, Shigeru Miyamoto served as co-producer of the film, alongside Meledandri, who welcomed
the input of one of the most influential figures in video game history.
Miyamoto told Rolling Stone,
"We started to want to focus on the idea of wanting people to enjoy Nintendo and love
Nintendo as Nintendo, not specifically as any certain game."
That approach to a more holistic style of branding resulted in a film collaboration
with Illumination, as well as the addition of the Super Nintendo World theme park at
Universal Studios.
It was important for Miyamoto, as a herald of Nintendo's original spirit, to capture
that spirit outside the world of video games.
Nintendo fans may have been worried that like the 1993 film, Illumination's take on "Super
Mario Bros." would substantially diverge from the source material.
But Nintendo was careful to make sure the film didn't erase Mario's backstory or characterization.
Of course, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" wouldn't be as adored by fans unless it featured some
of the franchise's most iconic music tracks.
Composer Brian Tyler helmed the film's score, borrowing melodies and songs from Koji Kondo's
original music throughout the franchise's history.
This is mostly present in the film's many action sequences, which use familiar themes
that will make any "Super Mario Bros." fan squeal with excitement.
Tyler described the process of adding Kondo's original music to the film's soundtrack, telling Variety,
"I wanted to have built-in nostalgia where it immediately feels like Mario."
This even contributes to some Easter eggs from the film, such as Luigi's ringtone being
the iconic GameCube jingle, or Bowser and Kamek duetting on piano to play the World
1-2 music from the original "Super Mario Bros."
All that said, some fans found reasons to criticize the soundtrack.
Along with oddly-placed pop songs during some of the film's key moments, fans lamented the
lack of credit to composer Grant Kirkhope, who wrote the infamous "DK Rap" that is featured
in Donkey Kong's introduction scene.
One thing Nintendo found particularly appealing about making "The Super Mario Bros. Movie"
was the notion that it not only appeals to longtime fans, but also introduces the world
of the games to those who may not be familiar with it.
Former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime described the intent of the Illumination
partnership to IGN, saying,
"It will be a great introduction to folks who are not as familiar with the world of Mario."
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" does a great job of appealing to younger audiences, an
aspect that can also be applied to the "Super Mario" video games.
The games thrive off fun gameplay and lovable characters rather than complex themes or controls.
Although the film is certainly not for everyone, many kids will likely walk out of the theater
desperate to play the latest entry in Nintendo's franchise.
Even nostalgic adults may find themselves returning to their favorite childhood classics
after watching the Illumination movie.
Either way, it wouldn't be surprising if the film's box office success was a result of
either of these groups going back for seconds.
It's a good time to be an animation studio in Hollywood.
The past few years have seen a boom in original animated films.
Many film critics credit this surge to the release of Sony's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,"
which wowed audiences with its comic-book-inspired aesthetic.
More films have profited off this mindset, including Dreamworks' "Puss in Boots: The
Last Wish."
Like, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," it was a smash-hit at the box office despite the
"Shrek" film franchise being dormant since the last "Puss in Boots" film a decade ago.
Audiences seem starved for animation that's not only well-crafted, but contains more heart
and soul than other recent franchise films.
The sentiment was even echoed during Guillermo del Toro's acceptance speech at the 2023 Oscars.
After winning Best Animated Film for his stop-motion masterpiece, "Pinocchio," Del Toro championed
animation, saying,
"Animation is cinema, animation is not a genre, and animation is ready to be taken to the
next step."
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" may not innovate, but it does satisfy audiences hungry for heartfelt animation.
Nintendo is a true video-game giant, with its many intellectual properties and dedication
to giving fans what they want.
Nintendo is primed to continue its commitment in film, with "The Super Mario Bros. Movie"
as just the start.
Even before the film's release, both fans and industry pundits alike were interested
in the possibility of a Nintendo Cinematic Universe.
This feeling was echoed by the film's cast, who expressed their hopes for the franchise
to have a future.
Although many film fans are growing tired of never-ending cinematic universes, "The
Super Mario Bros. Movie" certainly promises more from this world.
A post-credits scene teases the introduction of Yoshi, while other plot threads perfectly
set up a potential "Donkey Kong Country" spin-off.
Even Charlie Day has indicated he'd be down to reprise his role in a "Luigi's Mansion" movie.
Illumination, for all its flaws, knows its way around a franchise, and Nintendo's interest
in expanding its brand only makes this a greater possibility.
For Nintendo fans eager to see their favorite characters on the big screen, seeing "The
Super Mario Bros. Movie" is not unlike Marvel fans seeing the first "Iron Man" in 2008.