NEW YORK (AP) — Mario took over box office crown this weekend with “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” as moviegoers came out for the animated film that revived the long-running video game franchise.
The film, co-financed by Nintendo and Universal Pictures, grossed an estimated $55 million domestically over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. It easily topped the charts and became the biggest video game adaptation of all time, surpassing “Detective Pikachu” ($54.3 million) and “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” ($51.3 million).
The success of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is a testament to the enduring popularity of the Mario characters, who have been entertaining audiences for nearly 40 years. The film also benefited from strong reviews from critics, who praised its animation, humor, and faithfulness to the source material.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is the latest in a string of successful video game adaptations, which have become increasingly popular in recent years. As technology improves and filmmakers become more adept at adapting the unique challenges of video games to the big screen, we can expect to see even more video game movies in the future.
Here are the top 10 films at the domestic box office for the weekend of March 17-19, according to Comscore:
1. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($55 million)
2. .
