Actor Chris Pratt may be known for wrangling dinosaurs in movies like Jurassic World or for portraying Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) inMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. However, it’s his animated movie based on a popular video game franchise that’s climbing the streaming charts two years after its release.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie was released in 2023, and as of Dec. 15, the Nintendo film is the No. 8 most-watched movie on Netflix worldwide, per FlixPatrol. The film is just behind The Hustle and just ahead of Love and Wine and Kaantha in the top 10 movies on Netflix globally. The movie is a fan-favorite with a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, but has a critic’s score of 59%.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has the distinction of being the second-highest-grossing movie of 2023, just behind Barbie, earning $1.3 billion worldwide. Pratt voices the legendary plumber, Mario, alongside Charlie Day’s Luigi. Anya Taylor-Joy voices Princess Peach, Seth Rogen stars as Donkey Kong, and Jack Black voices the villainous Bowser.
Global fans of the Nintendo franchise may be catching up on the first Mario movie ahead of the April 2026 release of its sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic are returning to direct the second film, as is writer Matthew Fogel.
The main cast is also set to return with the addition of some new voices, including Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) and Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems). Larson will voice Rosalina, and Safdie will be playing Bowser Jr in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Mario fans got a look at Larson’s take on Rosalina in a trailer that was released in November. The movie’s title comes from the hit Nintendo game, Super Mario Galaxy, which was released in 2007.
Pratt On Taking on the Role of Mario
Mario looking astonished at mushrooms in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.Image via Universal Pictures
Pratt’s initial casting in the role of Mario came under fire, specifically his choice not to use an Italian accent for the character. Ahead of the 2023 release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Pratt addressed the matter in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “It makes sense. I was pretty nervous when they offered it to me,” Pratt said. “I thought, ‘Wow, let’s not screw this up.’ That’s where it all comes from, I think. People are passionate about this character, and they’ve probably seen some of their favorite IP getting screwed up. It’s kind of a cynical business. People make movies just because a title has reach,” he added.
Director Aaron Horvath also talked about Pratt’s take on Mario in a previous interview. “We wanted to make sure that Mario felt like a real character, that he’s a real guy with a real family, really flesh him out,” Horvath said. “He’s this everyman. He’s a plumber, he goes to a magic world and becomes this great hero, and Chris Pratt plays that character so well. He’s funny, he’s down-to-earth, and he’s also superheroic, so he really checked all of the boxes for us,” Horvath added.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is streaming on Netflix globally and on Prime Video in the United States. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will be released in movie theaters on April 3, 2026.
Release Date
April 5, 2023
Runtime
93 minutes
Director
Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath
Writers
Matthew Fogel
Producers
Chris Meledandri, Shigeru Miyamoto
Franchise(s)
Super Mario Bros.
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Anya Taylor-Joy
Princess Peach (voice)
