Super Mario Bros. Movie Is Now the Highest Grossing Video Game Adaptation Ever

The Super Mario Bros. Movie has crossed the $500 million mark en route to becoming the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time.

Universal confirmed to IGN that the movie has earned $508.7 million worldwide and $260.3 million in North America. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is also the highest-grossing movie of 2023 thus far, passing Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Nintendo and Illumination’s movie has passed other video game adaptations like Detective Pikachu, World of Warcraft, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to take the crown. It had a rocket-fueled start in its record-setting opening weekend, earning the biggest opening ever for an animated film with an estimated $368 million worldwide.

The Mario movie’s global success could certainly point to sequels and spinoffs coming in the future. In fact, the post-credits scene hints at a setup for a potential sequel.

The signs for Mario’s success were there leading up to the film’s release. IGN asked box office analysts if The Super Mario Bros. Movie would be 2023’s biggest film, and Boxoffice Pro’s Shawn Robbins called it “the first tried and true big animated blockbuster that has incredible appeal to people of all ages and all backgrounds,” outside of Minions, Illumination’s other mega franchise.

It certainly could hold on as the biggest movie of 2023, but Mario will have to fend off surefire hits like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1. There’s definitely a chance, though, as we’re asking ourselves if Nintendo’s movies can become bigger than Marvel’s.

We were fans of The Super Mario Bros. Movie in our review, saying, “Illumination and Nintendo set out to deliver a Mario movie that anyone could enjoy, and that anyone with even a passing knowledge of the games could get lost in – they’ve undeniably succeeded on both fronts.”

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over seven years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.