'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' Delights Fans With Entertainment And Nostalgia
The 3D animated film "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" opened in China on Wednesday, treating Chinese fans to a nostalgic and entertaining adaptation of Nintendo's iconic video game franchise.
A member of the public poses with a Mario poster at the premiere of The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” held at Universal CityWalk at Universal Beijing Resort on April 4, 2023. [Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures]
Fondly remembered by generations born in the 1980s and 1990s, the Super Mario video game series has become a cultural icon. The beloved franchise returns to the big screen as a film from Illumination, Universal Pictures and Nintendo. The film is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenik and written by Matthew Vogel. Voice actors include Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen and Fred Armisen.
The film tells the story of beloved brothers Mario and Luigi, Italian-American plumbers, who are accidentally transported to another world and become embroiled in a bitter battle between the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koops, led by the noble Princess Peach. The famous Bowser. Drawing from the elements and inspiration of a relatively simple video game, the film expands on the source material while staying true to its roots, accompanied by a familiar musical score. The film will appeal to nostalgic adults as well as thrill-seeking children.
After the critical and commercial disappointment of the 1993 live-action Mario film, Nintendo was initially reluctant to license its intellectual property for future film adaptations. However, during the company's partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts to develop Mario and Super Nintendo World themed games, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto met Chris Meledandri, founder of Universal Pictures' animation division Illumination. Their meeting sparked talks about the possibility of a new Mario movie, and in January 2018 Nintendo officially announced a partnership with Illumination and Universal to produce the film. Production started in 2020.
Illumination Studios Paris was responsible for the animation of the film, which was released in September 2020 and was completed in October 2022. Director Jelenic noted that Illumination updated its lighting and rendering technology for the project, while Meledandri said the film "expands the technical and artistic capabilities". of the study "to new heights".
Poster of the movie "Super Mario Bros." [Image credit: Universal Pictures]
The Super Mario Bros. Movie" was acclaimed around the world and became an instant hit. The film, which opened in the United States and Canada on Wednesday, is expected to earn around $125 million during its five-day run in North America and around $100 million international Since opening in China on April 5 alongside the Qingming Film Festival, the film has already earned more than 36 million yuan ($5.2 million) on Friday and has a solid rating of 8.1/10 on the Chinese review aggregator website received Douban and 9.4/10 on Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan.
Universal Pictures launched an extensive marketing campaign to promote the film in China, which included a premiere at Universal Beijing Resort, large billboards, subway sets and a trailer shown on giant outdoor screens in several Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. . Stills from the film were also shown at various stops at the Strawberry Music Festival, and all of these promotional efforts were aimed at stoking passion and nostalgia among Chinese fans.
