The year has seen Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Super Mario Bros movie shock the world when it became the first film of 2023 to reach a billion dollars at the box office. This is the first time that Mario and Luigi have hit the big screen since the live-action disaster that bombed both critically and financially in 1993. So why exactly did the animated version reach one billion dollars?
Going into the opening weekend, Super Mario Bros had lukewarm reviews like both of the superhero films mentioned above. However, this is a case where the critics and audiences are on a different spectrum. Unlike Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Super Mario Bros. connected with audiences throughout the country instantly.
It’s a head-scratcher at first glance, but when you dive into the reasoning behind the animated film’s huge success, then you understand why The Super Mario Bros. achieved such a huge feat. The Super Mario Bros. movie is a game changer for not just films but video games in general.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Proves That It’s Best To Have Creators Steering The Project
Shigeru Miyamoto – the creator of the Super Mario game – was at the forefront of the project due to the embarrassment known as the 1993 Super Mario Bros movie in live action. Miyamoto feels that 1993 is still a stain on the Mario brand overall and originally believed that video games couldn’t be adapted into films. However, video games have been on a streak as of late.
The Last of Us, Arcane, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Werewolves Within have proven that good video game adaptations are indeed possible. Before such projects came along in theaters, video game films were often deemed bottom-of-the-barrel content. It wasn’t just the fact that it didn’t mirror the video games. The recent Resident Evil reboot proves that you can’t replicate all of the iconic moments from the game and still turn out to be pretty bad.
Prevented The Hollywood Writers From Making Baffling Choices
Doom, Far Cry, Resident Evil, Hitman, Max Payne, Assassin’s Creed, and Silent Hill are all considered some of the best video games ever made. Their film counterparts felt like cheap excuses to make a quick buck at the box office. The source of the material is the same, but the filmmakers lost sight of the message. The key factor is that no video game creator was part of these film adaptations.
Changes happen. In fact, it’s a necessary tool for a video game adaptation to translate to mainstream audiences successfully. But without the video game creators guiding these projects, the brand was lost in translation. Baffling choices were often made in these adaptations. For instance, having a protagonist that was never a part of the video game franchise carries the brand forward. The complexity in the Assassin’s Creed adaptation failed because the entire story was uneven. This made the minor characters important, the confusing blend of genres, and staying in the present day too long.
That’s just a short list of issues for some of the video games. The Halo co-creator was a part of the Paramount Plus series, and that turned out to be a misfire. Having the creator onboard doesn’t automatically guarantee that the adaptation will turn out strong. But given that most of the Hollywood tend not to have a clue about the game they’re adapting, then it’s best to have someone knowledgeable on board.
Ensured The Trust Of Fans Everywhere
Audiences have been burned by video game adaptations time and time again. Though trust was slowly building back up before the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, properties like Uncharted and Halo put fans back on guard about video game material. Since 1993, Super Marios Bros. has grown into a billion-dollar-plus franchise. It’s not just the fact that the games sell well, but they’re highly regarded by fans and critics too. This goes back to Shigeru Miyamoto, preventing Hollywood writers from making bad creative choices. He understands his source material and knows what fans want overall.
Plenty of the critics didn’t really understand some of the moments in the Super Mario Bros. movie. In fact, many cited that it was too niche for the mainstream audience. Yet, the viewers have overwhelmingly stated how purely fun the overall film is. Miyamoto’s style and voice in the animated feature ensured that his game wouldn’t be lost in translation this time around.
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