Unprecedented Success of Mario Movie Earns Praise from Disney, Signaling Promising Prospects
In a groundbreaking triumph, The Super Mario Movie Bros. has shattered box office records, surpassing the billion-dollar mark worldwide and claiming the title of the most successful video game movie in history, as acclaimed by Rotten Tomatoes. Such a remarkable achievement has even caught the attention of Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger, who commends the film’s unprecedented accomplishment.
During a recent quarterly earnings call, Iger took a moment to extend his congratulations to Universal Pictures, a rival studio, for their resounding victory with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In a symbolic gesture of unity, Iger highlighted the film’s triumph as evidence that audiences worldwide have an insatiable appetite for animated films, exuberantly pouring their support and financial backing into these meticulously crafted cinematic experiences.
Addressing the call participants, Iger began, “Good afternoon everyone. Allow me to digress for a moment to congratulate Universal for the tremendous success of Super Mario Bros… It certainly proves people love to be entertained in theaters around the world, and it gives us reason to be optimistic about the movie business.” While Disney continues to thrive in the box office realm, thanks to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which enjoyed a surpassing opening weekend compared to the Mario movie, the animation department at Disney has faced some recent challenges. Pixar’s Toy Story spin-off, Lightyear, and Disney’s original sci-fi animation, Strange World, achieved modest global earnings of $200 million and $100 million, respectively, last summer and fall, as reported by CNBC. Meanwhile, Universal Pictures, through Illumination, raked in an astounding $940 million and $500 million for their Despicable Me spin-off, Minions: Rise of Gru, and the captivating Shrek spin-off spectacle, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Clearly, the potential for box office success is abundant, but Disney’s recent animated features have struggled to captivate audiences as effectively.
To Iger’s credit, even the Mario franchise creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, expressed surprise at Illumination’s phenomenal box office triumph with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In an interview with the Japanese press, Miyamoto confessed, “I did have expectations that this movie would perform well. However, I was taken aback by the level of success it ultimately achieved upon its release. Achieving such remarkable heights for a film requires a stroke of luck. While some foreign critics may have offered less favorable reviews, I believe it contributed to the movie’s notoriety and generated considerable buzz.”
The Super Mario Bros. Movie continues to captivate audiences worldwide, rewriting the record books and leaving an indelible mark on the annals of cinema history.
