Super Mario Bros. Sets Another Record

The Super Mario Bros. Movie scored the best second weekend ever for an animated movie in North American theaters with $87 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. With $94 million from international showings, Mario's global total now stands at a staggering $678 million, surpassing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania to become biggest film of 2023 in just two weekends. For most blockbusters, second weekends are usually down by about 60%, making Mario's 41% drop especially noteworthy, the AP reports. "To the casual observer that may not seem like a big deal, but that is an important metric," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. "It's the greatest indicator of audience love for the movie."

Mario faced little major competition this weekend even with a slew of new national releases including Renfield, the Pope's Exorcist, Mafia Mamma, and the animated Suzume. It still has two weekends before Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 flies into theaters. Sony and Screen Gem's R-rated the Pope’s Exorcist, starring Russell Crowe as the late Father Gabriele Amorth—the chief exorcist of the Diocese of Rome from 1986 to his death at 91 in 2016—fared the best. It made an estimated $9.2 million from 3,178 locations. Third place went to John Wick: Chapter 4 in its fourth weekend with $7.9 million. The Lionsgate action pic has now made over $160 million domestically. Universal's Renfield, the supernatural thriller starring Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as the title character, opened in fourth place with $7.8 million.

Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, $87 million.
2. The Pope’s Exorcist, $9.2 million.
3. John Wick: Chapter 4, $7.9 million.
4. Renfield, $7.8 million.
5. Air, $7.7 million.
6. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, $7.4 million.
7. Suzume, $5 million.
8. Mafia Mamma, $2 million.
9. Scream VI, $1.5 million.
10. Nefarious, $1.3 million.

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