The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been a tremendous success, with even fans shocked at how much money the Nintendo game adaptation has made. This is all despite the somewhat mixed reviews from critics, who generally haven’t been quite as fond of the film. This has been controversial among some moviegoers, something that someone particularly close to Mario has noted.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, Donkey Kong and a whole host of other Nintendo characters, believes that the movie’s reception has actually fueled its box office. In other words, the less-than-glowing reviews have only enticed people further. It’s a highly contentious point, but given how miraculous the performance of The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been, Miyamoto may be onto something.
Mario’s Creator Thinks the Movie’s Mixed Reception Helped It at the Box Office
As mentioned, Shigeru Miyamoto believes that the somewhat lower-than-expected reviews from critics only increased the buzz around The Super Mario Bros. Movie. While such a thing isn’t unheard of, it is a rarity with movies, especially those based around some sort of franchise or pre-existing property. For instance, the infamous 2021 film Morbius became a notorious joke for its bad reviews and the mixed reception for Shazam! Fury of the Gods saw it similarly maligned. In the case of both of these comic book films, however, their box office intake was particularly poor, with their notoriety not doing anything to steer viewers to the theaters to watch them. Given this trend, the box office for The Super Mario Bros. Movie should’ve been softened after initial reviews, if not outright fall off a cliff.
At the same time, Miyamoto’s theory does make some sense. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was noted for its key accuracy to the games’ various elements, being perhaps the best video game adaptation ever. This was obvious from the second that images and trailers began to drop, with many fans instantly enamored by how close everything was to the games. Of course, Chris Pratt’s voice as Mario was controversial, but this wasn’t enough to take away from the nostalgia and excitement. Given how good of an adaptation it appeared to be, fans of the source material were likely curious as to how it could be bad. A terrible adaptation in the vein of the live-action Super Mario Bros. would be more understandable. But the reception toward The Super Mario Bros. Movie was likely harder to parse.
Nostalgia and Lack of Competition Helped The Super Mario Bros. Movie Succeed
The biggest driving factor for the success of the film was the universal popularity of the Mario property, especially as it relates to older moviegoers. Many have grown up with Mario in some capacity, and seeing the world so perfectly translated onto the big screen was something they simply couldn’t pass up the chance to see. On that same note, Mario was something that many likely wanted to share with their children, which certainly helped the film when it came to the family audience. The first half of 2023 has been fairly dry in terms of family and kids movies, with the only big release in this demographic being the 2022 holdover Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The action blockbuster Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was a notable box office disappointment, whereas the successful John Wick: Chapter 4 catered toward a completely different demographic
.With such little competition, it’s no wonder The Super Mario Bros. Movie has continued to mash coin blocks at the box office. This lack of competition was also a likely factor in staving off the effects of any bad reviews. This would contradict Miyamoto’s idea that said reviews actively helped the film, but it’s obvious, at this point, that they didn’t hurt it. After all, the reception wasn’t exactly damning, especially for those simply looking for a lighthearted and fun adventure. As evidenced by the box office, that’s what audiences got — and they keep going back for another playthrough.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now playing in theaters,