In 2023, Hollywood star Chris Pratt lent his voice to the iconic character of Mario in the animated feature The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Adapted from the cult Nintendo video game franchise, the story of two Italian-American plumbers and their adventures in a fantasy world, became as big a rage as the original games and broke the $1 billion mark in no time along with other records.
But it now seems that Pratt’s film may have to give way to Pixar’s latest film Inside Out 2, which is ruling the box office following its release on June 14th. Along with creating the record for being the fastest animated film to cross the $1 billion mark, the movie has also earned a special place in the Pixar franchise, and is well on its way to surpassing the collections of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Hollywood Box Office Hints That This Chris Pratt Hit Could Be Overtaken By Inside Out 2
While there were speculations from fans regarding the voice casting of Chris Pratt as the iconic Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the actor proved everyone wrong by immersing himself in the role and turning in a brilliant performance that captured the ethos of the character to perfection.
Pratt’s presence, along with the marquee voice of Jack Black as Bowser, ensured that the film crossed the $1 billion mark globally in just 26 days of its release (via Variety). It also earned the distinction of being the second highest grossing film of 2023 just behind Barbie, with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer coming in only at 3rd place (via The Numbers). The film also had the biggest opening weekend for any animated feature in history.
This Oscar-nominated film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination, has a global box office collection that stands at over $1.35 billion, with only 2019’s The Lion King and Frozen 2 having made more. But it now looks like Pixar’s latest feature will challenge not just Pratt’s film, but the other classics too.
Inside Out 2, which is the sequel to the groundbreaking first film, brings back the young protagonist Riley and the inner working of her mind through the physical manifestation of her various emotions. Right from its release on June 14th, 2024, it was clear that audiences were completely invested in this narrative.
While this is the first film in 2024 to cross $1 billion and only the 2nd film since Barbie last year to do so, it also achieved this feat in a record time of just 19 days, making it the fastest animated feature to reach this mark (via Forbes). At present, it is also the highest grossing film of 2024, with Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2 taking second spot (via The Numbers).
More significantly, with its current box office collection which stands at a little over $1.23 billion, the movie is all set to become the most successful Pixar film as we speak, once it crosses The Incredibles 2’s collection of $1.24 billion which is now inevitable.
#InsideOut2 will pass #Incredibles2 at the box office today to become Pixar's highest-grossing film ever 💰 pic.twitter.com/dZrw4TYLNd
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) July 9, 2024
While this is a staggering record just weeks after its release, it seems to only be a matter of time before Inside Out 2 jumps ahead of Pratt’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie. All that’s left to be seen is if the film can keep its dream run going by not only challenging The Lion King, but also other non-animated movies.
Chris Pratt Is Excited To Explore The Mario Bros. Universe Again
Following the stupendous success of 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Chris Pratt is all set to reprise his role as the charismatic protagonist Mario in a sequel which is set to hit theaters in 2026. The popular Nintendo video game franchise that took the world by storm, has also introduced a whole universe of characters over 4 decades, apart from Mario, Luigi, and Bowser.
Exploring this vast universe was what Pratt was most excited about in the sequel. In an interview with Screen Rant, the Marvel alum believed that there was great scope to expand the narrative even beyond a second film to make it into a full-fledged movie franchise.
Oh, man! There’s so much to explore. There are decades worth of [games] to explore, not only with Mario and Peach and Donkey Kong and Luigi and Bowser and Yoshi; that was teased at the end. But it just gets me so excited.
The Guardians of the Galaxy star revealed that he was a die-hard fan of the games growing up, which gave him even more incentive to be a continuing part of its cinematic adaptations.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie can be rented on Apple TV.
Inside Out 2 is currently running in theaters.
