Video game adaptations are one thing. Either the fan service isn’t right or the quality of the film isn’t right, in the worst case both. Luckily, Illumination and Nintendo didn’t make any major mistakes with Super Mario Bros., and that was appreciated accordingly at the box office.
Nintendo let the film rights for Super Mario Bros. rest for a long time. No wonder, after all, the first implementation of the material didn’t exactly cause a ringing cash register. Rather, Bob Hoskins and his co-stars earned a lot of ridicule for the strip, which was released in 1993.
>> Top 10: Upcoming video game adaptations: Without Uwe Boll! <<
The Super Mario Bros. animated film produced by Illumination finally hit theaters last week. Not only we are enthusiastic about the fan service and the general production quality. Heaps of visitors flocked to the cinema and mostly expressed enthusiasm on social media, despite the sometimes negative reviews.
But that’s not the only reason Nintendo and Illumination are currently celebrating. Because the strip broke a remarkable record in the first few days: its start was the most successful of any animated film ever. Super Mario Bros. has raked in a whopping $377 million at the box office since its debut last week.
This clearly knocked the previous record holder off the throne. Frozen 2 topped the chart with $358 million over the same period. But not only Elsa’s adventures were easily left behind. Super Mario Bros. is on track to become the most successful video game adaptation of all time. The current leader, the Warcraft adaptation, generated a total of $439 million. The Klempner brothers are well on their way to the top of the table.
In about two months, the Super Mario Bros. movie will finally hit theaters. To further fuel us and add some story context, Nintendo and Illumination have released a fresh video. Mario and Luigi advertise their plumbing company SMB Plumbing in this one.
