Neither Barbie nor Oppenheimer: 2023’s highest-grossing film grosses $559 million

As we told you about earlier this week, in the latest Blockbuster Tournament, Deadline analyzed the revenues, costs and profits of blockbusters coming out in 2023 to determine the year’s highest-grossing films.

Although Marvel, DC and Disney products did not do so well, we still expected the top spot in the ranking. Indeed, the publication had not yet revealed the two films that were on the first step of the podium, but it was between Super Mario Bros., the film and Barbie. We have the answer now.

So you get it, Mario wins the race! The blockbuster film from Universal and Illumination ranks first among the year’s highest-grossing films.

As a reminder, in terms of revenue, the site took into account both the results of movies shot in theaters, as well as their income from streaming and TV shows, as well as their income at the home entertainment level (Blu-ray sales, DVD and others). On the cost side, the publication included production costs, advertising, residual income and other distribution costs, as well as other interest and overhead costs.

So his total expenses come to $400 million and his total income comes to $959 million, resulting in a net profit of $559 million!

Super Mario Bros, the movie It stands ahead Barbie And its $421 million for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse and its $328 million for Ninja Turtles: Teenage Years, which surprised the box office last year and which ranks fourth with a 204.5. A million dollars ahead of Oppenheimer and his 202 million, then Wonka and his 182 million.

We present the top 10 movies of the rating:

And this is neither the first nor the second time in the history of the Deadline tournament that Illumination successfully climbed the ladder. The production company also won the inaugural tournament in 2014 with Despicable Me 2 and was crowned again in 2017 for Like Beasts.

Crash of superhero movies?

In 2023, the blockbuster tournament saw superhero movies crash, except for one side. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseWhich proved that fans wanted to see something different in the genre and on the other hand ended the beloved saga with Guardians of the Galaxy 3. In contrast, The Marvels is the biggest flop of the year with its net loss. From $237 million, The Flash followed on the DC side, losing its $155 million.

The ranking also showed that the once-mighty Disney (tied with Marvel, moreover) can sometimes get it wrong: In 2023, Wish, Indiana Jones and the Clock of Destiny, and The Haunted Mansion actually ranked in the lower end of the grosser rankings.

Barbie and OppenheimerMeanwhile, the biggest weekend at the US box office has proven to be perhaps the most rewarding when two blockbusters collide in the heart of summer — especially when they’re so diametrically opposed, as never before, directed by two award-winning filmmakers. . , opponents without any enmity and that an unexpected phenomenon is created at the peak of sales (except when dealing with two quality films).

The key to success

We know that not all Mario movies are successful. Indeed, the first big-screen adaptation of the iconic 1980s game flopped: 1993’s live-action Super Mario Bros., starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, grossed $21 million domestically and only $40 million worldwide — but it cost money. $50 million… In comparison, the 2023 film had already collected $31.7 million on its first day of release.

The difference between the two films probably stems from the fact that the game’s designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, was involved in the making of the second film, which is guaranteed to be the holy grail in the world of adaptations: faithfulness to the original work – with a touch. Modernity if necessary.

So Princess Peach, for example, is no longer a damsel in distress who must be saved. He was first introduced as fans know him in the games before he became a force to be reckoned with. The film also features the voices of big names in showbiz, including Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Sebastian Maniscalco, Seth Rogen, Charlie Day and Keegan-Michael Key. The film was also able to rely on a lot of advertising and promotion around the world, in addition to the help of its partners, including McDonald’s and its affiliates Happy Meals, Shake Shack and 7-Eleven.

So not only Super Mario Bros, the movie is Illumination’s highest-grossing feature at the worldwide box office with $1.36 billion, but it’s also the most profitable with a total of $559 million, surpassing Minions and its $502 million in 2015.

Its other achievements include the world’s largest opening weekend for an animated film, being the highest-grossing film based on a video game, and the first film based on a video game to gross over a billion dollars at the box office. It also became the third highest-grossing animated film of all time. It also received three nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, including Best Animated Feature Film. The sequel is due out on April 1, 2026.

Rankings for the 2023 movie streaming tournament coming soon, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Super Mario Bros, the movie can be rediscovered on VOD (and Barbie streaming on MyCanal).