Universal released three of the five highest-grossing films of 2023 at the global box office. This feat was all the more impressive considering only one of those titles was a sequel, and none involved any mention of superheroes. That trio of properties—The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Oppenheimer, and Fast X—exemplifies the studio’s commitment to releasing a diverse slate of wide-appealing titles across various genres.
Topping the list, The Super Mario Bros. Movie roared past the billion-dollar mark in its theatrical run, becoming the most successful video game adaptation ever. The first film in what is expected to be a new franchise for the studio, Mario only trails Disney’s Incredibles 2 (2016) as the highest-grossing animated release of all-time on the domestic charts and Frozen II (2019) among worldwide releases. Its tally of $1.363 billion in global ticket sales makes it the third highest-grossing film of all time globally for the studio, only trailing 2015’s Jurassic World and Furious 7.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie finished the year as the second-biggest box office hit across the domestic, international, and global box office charts behind Warner Bros.’ Barbie.
Over the summer, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer became the unwitting second half of an unlikely double-feature willed into existence by the cultural zeitgeist. It is nothing short of miraculous that a dialogue-driven three-hour historical drama set mostly in university classrooms, government offices, and desert laboratories would gross nearly a billion dollars worldwide. That is exactly what Oppenheimer achieved thanks to Universal’s global marketing campaign and extended theatrical run, keeping the film in theaters from its July release through the Academy Awards in March.
Rounding out Universal’s top 3 titles of 2023, Fast X drove a global haul of $714.5 million since its theatrical release in May of that year. Despite not being among the best performers in the Fast & Furious franchise, the 10th entry in Universal’s high-octane saga performed along the lines of recent entries in the series. It also marked the first time since 2013’s Fast & Furious 6 that the domestic market outperformed China as the top-performing territory worldwide for a film in the franchise.
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