The Super Mario Bros. Movie Had a Massive Opening Day at the Box Office

When it was first announced that Nintendo and Illumination — the studio behind Despicable Me — were teaming up to bring the Super Mario Bros. franchise to the big screen, there was no question that the partnership would be a bonafide cash cow. It would’ve taken a massive marketing failure or the worst movie in years for The Super Mario Bros. Movie not to be an enormous hit. Now, after just one day in theaters, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is proving all of the predictions correct.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie debuted on Wednesday and is preparing for a massive Easter weekend at the box office, both here in the United States and around the globe. The film is off to a good start, earning more than $66 million in its first day in theaters.

According to Deadline, The Super Mario Bros. movie earned $34.7 million across 44 international markets on Wednesday. When combined with the totals from North America, that day one total rises to $66.4 million.

That’s a great opening day in any situation, but it’s especially impressive for The Super Mario Bros. Movie because it’s in the middle of the week. This is a family movie designed for younger audiences and it took home a lot of money on a school night. Friday and Saturday will see an even bigger influx of families in theaters, especially with the holiday weekend.

Over the course of its five day opening, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now eyeing a debut of around $141 million domestically, with $92 million of that expected to come over the weekend. However, Illumination’s latest has already defied expectations and made more money than projected in its first day, so that total could end up even higher by the time the weekend comes to a close.

Illumination’s Despicable Me 2 had a similar opening scenario when it was first released. The film made $35 million domestically in its first day and went on to make $143 million throughout the entire opening period. 

Were you expecting The Super Mario Bros. Movie to do this well out of the gate? Will you be seeing it this weekend? Let us know in the comments!