Update: The second weekend figure has been revised to an $87 million haul, meaning its drop-off rate is just 41%.
Original: Universal and Illumination’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” pulled in a further $22.6 million on Friday and is now on track for an $80 million domestic second weekend gross.
That’s a highly impressive 45% drop from its massive $146 million opening weekend, as very, very few films that open above $100 million fall less than 50% in their second bow. Even Illumination’s last effort, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” fell a steeper 57%.
It also puts it up there for the record of the second-biggest sophomore weekend ever for an animated release – ready to come somewhere around “Incredibles 2” at $80.3 million and close to record holder “Frozen 2” at $85.9 million.
Helping it along is the film actually expanded its wide footprint, adding an additional 28 locations in North America, along with the sheer lack of any other kiddie fare since “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” opened in December.
The film crossed the $500 million mark globally on Friday, becoming the highest-grossing release of 2023 and the biggest video game adaptation in history. The small drop means this level is still a long way from over.
Opening this weekend was the Nic Cage-led “Renfield”, which pulled in $3.1 million on Friday and is projecting a $7.5 million opening weekend gross. That’s under expectations, not helped by weak reviews from critics and a B- CinemaScore.
Also, debuting was the Russell Crowe-led “The Pope’s Exorcist” which snagged $3.46 million on Friday and an $8.6 million opening weekend. “John Wick: Chapter 4” is headed for fourth with $7.3 million, and “Air” is fifth with a 49% drop from its $14 million three-day opening last weekend.
There’s also Crunchyroll’s anime film “Suzume” which is targeting a $4.7 million gross, and “Mafia Mamma” which is tracking for a $2.3 million debut.
Source: Variety
