The newly released ‘Super Mario Bros.’ film grossed a whopping $500 million setting the bar for the box office score, but which other films can hold a candle?
Over the weekend, Super Mario Bros. crossed the $500 million mark at the global box office, surpassing Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The video game industry continues to grow and bring in massive income, with nearly $100 billion yearly solely in the US. From The Last of Us to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the impact is apparent regarding the gaming to film or TV pipeline.
“What we’re seeing now is that the game creators are getting involved with Hollywood; they’re helping writing and to direct and to create these worlds, which I think creates an authenticity for the game fans, but also creates a very rich, detailed world for folks that may not even have played the games,” said Geoff Keighley, CEO of The Game Awards.
According to Cedars, the video game industry earned a staggering $180 billion in revenue in 2021, a substantial increase from the $155 billion earned the previous year. Video games have silently dominated the entertainment industry for years, making just under $146 billion compared to the $62.7 billion brought in by the movie and music industries combined in the first year of the pandemic.
So, after Mario and Luigi made a bit of box office history this year, that got us thinking — what are the highest-grossing video game movie adaptations of all time? Check out the full list below.
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What’s the Highest-grossing Video Game Movie Ever?
Super Mario Bros. ($500 Million)
The classic video film has earned $260.3 million domestically and $248.4 million internationally. The movie is now the highest-grossing film in 2023 at the global and domestic box office. The help of this film opens the door for classic gaming franchises to receive film adaptations in the future. “Movies are a different medium,” says Universal Pictures’s chairman, Donna Langley. “It can’t just be about super-serving core fans, and these adaptations must tell a good story that resonates with general audiences.”
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu ($433.2 Million)
The Pokémon universe finally came to the big scream with Ryan Reynolds embodying the yellow furry character. The film scored major success through numbers and critical acclaim while competing with Avengers: Endgame. Detective Pikachu served as Nintendo’s first success in the film industry, providing a comforting foundation for gaming content and entering a new and welcoming cinematic market.
Rampage ($428 Million)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson starred in Rampage in 2018, bringing the monster arcade game to life from the 1980s and garnered major box office numbers despite the negative reviews and gained major buzz surrounding the film after the box office numbers became public.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 ($405.4 Million)
The triumphant sequel in the Sonic franchise scored $405 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing video game adaptations of all time. The success stems from the original game for fans who loved the character. and is set to include a sequel and a spinoff series centered around Idris Elba’s Knuckles.
Uncharted ($401.7 Million)
Tom Holland took on a new role in Uncharted receiving mixed reviews from fans and critics but received major box office numbers for the high production value and captured the essence of the video game. With the success of the film some fans are speculating about a sequel and while there are no confirmations yet, the reception was overall positive.
The Angry Birds Movie ($352.3 Million)
The mobile app game that was a sensation in the late 2000s came to the big screen and served as a box office success due to the colorful animations and adventurous storyline producing over $350 million proving to naysayers that video games can turn into great movies with interesting storylines.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter ($312.2 Million)
The Resident Evil franchise has made an impact at the box office, specifically the sixth film in the series garnered over $300 million at the worldwide box office. The film became the highest-earning entry from the franchise and opened the door to the 2021 reboot Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.
