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The Super Mario Bros. Sets All-Time Global Opening Record for Animated Films

The Box Office Mojo website is estimating a total five-day earnings of US$204,628,865 in the United States for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, with an estimated US$34,690,000 on Easter Sunday. The film also has an estimated US$377,628,865 take worldwide in its first five days. Entertainment news website Deadline puts that estimate as the highest-earning all-time worldwide opening for an animated film, beating Frozen II. (Frozen II opened over a regular three-day frame, as opposed to The Super Mario Bros. Movie's five-day frame.)

The film now also has the biggest all-time opening for a video game film adaptation, the biggest domestic and worldwide openings of 2023 so far, and the second-biggest all-time domestic opening for an animated film.

The film earned US$31,702,735 in its opening day in the U.S. The film's global one-day total is US$66.4 million. The film earned US$26,566,130 in the U.S. on Thursday, an estimated US$54,800,000 on Friday, an estimated US$56,870,000 on Saturday.

The film opened in the U.S. and in over 60 markets worldwide on Wednesday. The film will open on April 28 in Japan, after a delay. The film was previously slated to open on December 21.

Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic directed the film, with a script by Matthew Fogel. The movie's English voice cast includes Chris Pratt and Charlie Day as Mario and Luigi, respectively. Anya Taylor-Joy plays Princess Peach. Jack Black voices Bowser.

Other cast members include Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek, and Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike. Charles Martinet, who has voiced Mario and many other Nintendo characters in games, also voices "surprise cameos" in the film.

The Japanese dub cast members are:

• Mamoru Miyano as Mario
• Arisa Shida as Peach
• Tasuku Hatanaka as Luigi
• Kenta Miyake as Bowser
• Tomokazu Seki as Toad

Illumination founder Chris Meledandri co-produced the film with Super Mario Bros. creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Meledandri stated that Miyamoto was "front and center in the creation of this film" and noted that the "original creative voice" is often absent from Hollywood film adaptations.

Nintendo announced in February 2018 that Universal Studios' subsidiary Illumination Entertainment (Despicable Me, Minions, Sing) had begun planning the animated film. Both Nintendo and Universal Pictures funded the project, and Universal Pictures is distributing the film worldwide.

Source: Box Office Mojo, Deadline (Nancy Tartaglione), Variety (Rebecca Rubin)