The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Weekend
Universal’s animated video game adaptation easily repeated in first place, declining only -33% to $40.0M, the #7 fourth weekend of all time.
It had previously earned the:
- #32 “traditional” three-day opening weekend of all time ($146.3M)
- #17 five-day start of all time, since it opened on a Wednesday instead of a Friday ($204.6M)
- #7 sophomore weekend of all time ($92.3M)
- #7 third weekend of all time ($59.9M)
- Now, the #7 fourth weekend of all time, behind only:
- American Sniper ($89.2M)
- Avatar ($50.3M)
- Avatar: The Way of Water ($45.8M)
- Top Gun: Maverick ($44.6M)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($42.3M)
- Black Panther ($40.8M)
(Even then, Sniper’s ostensible “fourth weekend” was actually its first in wide release, as its first three frames were limited.)
Mario also now earns the #1 animated fourth weekend of all time.
Among animated films specifically, it had previously earned the:
- #3 animated opening weekend of all time, behind 2019’s The Lion King ($191.7M) and 2018’s Incredibles 2 ($182.6M)
- #1 animated sophomore frame of all time, beating the prior record holder, 2019’s Frozen II with $86.0M
- #1 animated third frame of all time, beating the prior record holder, 2018’s Incredibles 2 with $46.4M
- Now, the #1 animated fourth frame of all time, beating the prior record holder, 2018’s Incredibles 2 with $28.4M
Domestic total
With $490.0M to date domestically, Mario is currently the highest-grossing movie during 2023 so far.
It ranks far ahead of December 2022 holdover Avatar: The Way of Water ($257.4M during the calendar year) and February’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ($212.9M).
Mario also ranks as the #19 biggest film of all time.
Among animated films specifically, it ranks #3 all time domestically, behind only:
- 2018’s Incredibles 2 ($608.5M)
- 2019’s The Lion King ($543.6M)
Among post-pandemic films, it ranks #4 all time domestically, behind only:
- 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($814.1M)
- 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick ($718.7M)
- 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water ($683.8M)
Overseas / global total
This weekend overseas, Mario declined -33% to $68.1M, exactly the same as its -33% domestic drop.
Mario has earned $532.4M overseas and $1.02B globally. That makes it by far the top global release of 2023 so far, far ahead of runner-up Quantumania ($474.5M).
Mario currently ranks as the #49 film of all time globally.
It’s also the #11 animated title of all time globally, behind:
- 2019’s The Lion King ($1.66B)
- 2019’s Frozen II ($1.45B)
- 2013’s Frozen ($1.28B)
- 2018’s Incredibles 2 ($1.24B)
- 2015’s Minions ($1.15B)
- 2019’s Toy Story 4 ($1.07B)
- 2010’s Toy Story 3 ($1.06B)
- 2017’s Despicable Me 3 ($1.03B)
- 2016’s Finding Dory ($1.029B)
- 2016’s Zootopia ($1.025B)
Among post-pandemic films, it ranks #4 all time globally, behind only:
- 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.31B)
- 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.92B)
- 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick ($1.49B)
Evil Dead Rise
Last weekend, Warner Bros.’ horror sequel “rose” to $24.5M in second place.
That was above Boxoffice PRO’s pre-release projection, which was in the $13M to $18M range.
However, it debuted -5% below the franchise’s last installment, 2013’s Evil Dead ($25.7M).
Now in its sophomore frame, Rise falls -50% to $12.2M, repeating in second place.
That sophomore drop is steeper than 2022’s The Black Phone (-48%), but milder than 2013’s Evil Dead (-63%).
This weekend overseas, Rise declined only -29%, much less than its -50% domestic drop.
Rise has earned $42.1M overseas and $86.5M globally. It’s potentially closing in on 2013’s Evil Dead with a $99.0M global total.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Lionsgate’s coming-of-age comedy opened to $6.8M in third place.
That’s below Boxoffice PRO’s pre-release projection, which was in the $9M to $17M range.
But it was +43% above the opening for 2016’s similar adolescence-themed The Edge of Seventeen, also written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig.
Margaret’s audience was an estimated 81% female (no surprise there) and also an identical 81% ages 25+.
In other words, the audience seemed to primarily be fans of Judy Blume’s original 1970 novel through the decades, more so than girls approximately the protagonist Margaret’s actual age: 11.
John Wick: Chapter 4
Now in its sixth frame, Lionsgate’s R-rated action thriller declined only -14% to $5.0M and fourth place, helped in part by a return to 222 IMAX screens.
With $176.1M total, Chapter 4 finally exceeded third installment Parabellum’s $171.0M total last Thursday. Through the equivalent point in release, it’s running +13% ahead.
Chapter 4 has already far exceeded the totals of both the first ($43.0M) and second installments ($92.0M).
Read Boxoffice PRO’s interview with director Chad Stahelski here:
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (40th anniversary re-release)
Disney’s re-release of one of the highest-grossing films of all time “returned” with $4.6M in fifth place.
The film screened in only 475 theaters, less than one-sixth the widest releases in the marketplace, earning a $9,882 per-theater average.
While that $4.6M opening is much less than the $22.4M for 2012’s 3D re-release of 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the per-theater average is actually slightly higher than Menace’s $8,463.
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
Last weekend, MGM’s war action drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal opened with $6.2M in third place.
That was on the higher end of Boxoffice PRO’s pre-release projection, which was in the $3M to $7M range.
Now in its sophomore frame, the film falls -43% to $3.6M and seventh place.
That’s a milder sophomore drop than many of titular director Ritchie’s prior adult-skewing action films:
- March’s Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre (-59%)
- 2021’s Wrath of Man (-55%)
- January 2020’s The Gentlemen (-47%)
- 2017’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (-53%)
- 2015’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (-45%)
It’s also milder than for several other comparable adult-oriented action titles from the past year or so:
- 2022’s Ambulance, also starring Gyllenhaal (-53%)
- January’s Plane (-49%)
- 2022’s Beast (-58%)
Sisu
Lionsgate’s R-rated World War II action thriller debuted with $3.2M in eighth place.
That’s on the lower end of Boxoffice PRO’s pre-release projection, which was in the $3M to $6M range.
Sisu earned its debut figure despite only playing in 1,006 theaters, less than one-third of the widest releases in the marketplace.
While it’s actual opening weekend gross is less, as a result, its $3,230 per-theater average opening per-theater average is in the same range as:
- March’s 65 ($3,621)
- 2022’s Violent Night ($3,653)
- 2021’s The Forever Purge ($4,114)
- 2022’s Beast ($3,093)
Big George Foreman
Sony Pictures’ faith-based boxing biopic wasn’t exactly a knockout, with a $3.0M debut in ninth place.
That’s on the lowest end of Boxoffice PRO’s pre-release projection, which was in the $3M to $6M range.
That’s also below some other post-pandemic faith-based sports titles:
- -48% below 2021’s American Underdog ($5.8M)
- -44% below 2022’s Father Stu ($5.4M)
Weekend comparisons
Total box office this weekend came in around $90.2M, which is:
|
Weekend |
Total |
This weekend is: |
Notes |
|
Last weekend |
$125,042,659 |
-27% |
The Super Mario Bros. Movie led, third frame ($59.9M) |
|
Same weekend in 2022 |
$66,904,036 |
+34% |
The Bad Guys led, second frame ($16.2M) |
|
Same weekend in 2019 |
$402,087,399 |
-77% |
Avengers: Endgame led ($357.1M) |
YTD comparisons
Year-to-date box office stands around $2.58B, which is:
|
Year |
YTD total |
2023 YTD now: |
2023 YTD after last weekend: |
Trend |
|
2022 |
$1.88B |
+36.8% |
+37.8% |
Down |
|
2019 |
$3.39B |
-23.9% |
-16.2% |
Down |
Top distributors
Grouped by parent company, the YTD leaders are:
- Universal + Focus Features: $862.9M
- Disney + 20th Century + Searchlight: $526.7M
- Lionsgate: $276.9M
- Paramount: $255.3M
- MGM + United Artists + Amazon Studios: $219.4M
- Sony Pictures + Sony Classics + Crunchyroll: $175.7M
- Warner Bros.: $141.3M
Disney looks poised to likely retake the lead in May, thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Little Mermaid.
Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates:
| Title | Estimated weekend | % change | Locations | Location change | Average | Total | Weekend | Distributor |
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie | $40,000,000 | -33% | 4,204 | -146 | $9,515 | $490,016,000 | 4 | Universal |
| Evil Dead Rise | $12,200,000 | -50% | 3,417 | 15 | $3,570 | $44,416,195 | 2 | Warner Bros. |
| Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. | $6,800,000 | 3,343 | $2,034 | $6,800,000 | 1 | Lionsgate | ||
| John Wick: Chapter 4 | $5,000,000 | -14% | 2,481 | -204 | $2,015 | $176,155,296 | 6 | Lionsgate |
| Star Wars Ep. VI: Return of the Jedi (40th anniversary) | $4,694,000 | 475 | $9,882 | $313,841,064 | 20th Century Studios [Disney] | |||
| Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | $4,100,000 | -25% | 2,709 | -251 | $1,513 | $88,160,000 | 5 | Paramount |
| Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant | $3,615,081 | -43% | 2,631 | 20 | $1,374 | $12,294,044 | 2 | MGM |
| Sisu | $3,250,000 | 1,006 | $3,231 | $3,250,000 | 1 | Lionsgate | ||
| Big George Foreman | $3,000,000 | 3,054 | $982 | $3,000,000 | 1 | Sony Pictures | ||
| The Pope’s Exorcist | $1,750,000 | -49% | 1,950 | -1,228 | $897 | $18,001,707 | 3 | Sony Pictures |
| Beau is Afraid | $1,432,715 | -46% | 2,125 | 1,160 | $674 | $5,641,248 | 3 | A24 |
| Renfield | $1,269,550 | -61% | 1,900 | -1,478 | $668 | $16,334,000 | 3 | Universal |
| Polite Society | $800,000 | 927 | $863 | $800,000 | 1 | Focus Features [Universal] | ||
| Chevalier | $625,000 | -59% | 1,281 | 6 | $488 | $2,778,053 | 2 | Searchlight [Disney] |
| Suzume | $535,000 | -67% | 440 | -1,730 | $1,216 | $9,754,264 | 3 | Sony Pictures |
| Nefarious | $530,000 | -16% | 333 | -424 | $1,592 | $3,373,888 | 3 | SDG |
| Scream VI | $230,000 | -54% | 276 | -327 | $833 | $108,117,000 | 8 | Paramount |
| Showing Up | $78,590 | -35% | 115 | 30 | $683 | $552,271 | 4 | A24 |
| Avatar: The Way of Water | $71,000 | -88% | 110 | -810 | $645 | $683,946,614 | 20 | 20th Century [Disney] |
| Wild Life | $56,318 | 10% | 13 | -1 | $4,332 | $187,864 | 3 | National Geographic Films |
| Champions | $54,000 | -40% | 87 | -22 | $621 | $16,265,930 | 8 | Focus Features [Universal] |
| The Eight Mountains | $36,000 | 2 | $18,000 | $36,000 | 1 | Janus Films | ||
| Joyland | $33,510 | -13% | 30 | 22 | $1,117 | $134,298 | 4 | Oscilloscope |
| Other People’s Children | $14,895 | 18% | 7 | 4 | $2,128 | $35,007 | 2 | Music Box Films |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania | $13,000 | -33% | 40 | n/c | $325 | $212,973,787 | 11 | Walt Disney |
| A Thousand and One | $9,000 | -63% | 12 | -21 | $750 | $3,395,515 | 5 | Focus Features |
| R.M.N. | $5,800 | 2 | $2,900 | $5,800 | 1 | IFC Films |
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