Chris Pratt just can’t lose! The actor is white hot and everything he touches has been turning to box office gold, even when it’s just his voice as in the new Super Mario Bros. movie.
Pratt is appealing not just because he is a good actor, a Christian, and one of the more likable people in Hollywood. Pratt is appealing because most of his projects contain non-woke themes, eschewing the virtue signaling and forced diversity Hollywood is so fond of these days.
One need only look at Super Mario Bros. The movie is of course based on the video game. An eight-bit video game from a different generation. The Mario brand has had remarkable staying power, but the live-action movie in 1993 was an unmitigated disaster, and little hope was being held out for the new animated feature. Check this out
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” defied expectations and smashed records by pulling off the most lucrative opening weekend at the box office for an animated film, a title which was previously held by the Disney sequel “Frozen 2” (2019).
Per Axios, “Super Mario” brought in $377 million in global box office sales and $204.6 million in domestic sales between Wednesday and Sunday. That also makes the movie the highest-grossing film of the year so far, besting numbers set by Disney’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
Mario Bros just grossed $377 million—a new record for animated features—despite John Lequizamo boycotting the film because it “messed up the inclusion” casting two white men, Chris Pratt and Charlie Day, as the Italian American leads. Nintendo refused to let Mario Bros go woke!
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 10, 2023
Certainly, Pratt doesn’t get complete credit for the success of the movie, but having him doesn’t hurt. There is a certain segment of people that have some disposable income (for now) and a taste for nostalgia. In this case, it is the 90s babies that are approaching 30 and feeling old, reaching back to their youth.
There is a fresh taste for nostalgia from the 90s, as evidenced by all of the buzz over the recent rumblings from Blockbuster hinting at a brand reboot. Whether that happens or not, people always want to reach back and lean into better times, and the 90s were certainly better times.
Opening weekend numbers alone were also enough to make “Super Mario Bros.” the best video game adaptation film of all time, stealing that title from “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” (2022), which earned $190 million.
The movie starring Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario and Jack Black as Bowser currently has a 56% critic rating and 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Jack Black is also a throwback to that generation. Just ask any 30-year-old about the movie “School of Rock” and watch them get misty-eyed talking about it.
The movie is also enjoying popularity because parents KNOW they can take their kids and not have to explain why two dudes were kissing. Crazy concept!
Many audience reviews mentioned that the movie was kid-focused and family-friendly, unlike some recent Disney films which have added non-traditional elements such as same-sex relationships.
“Perfect for my 11 year old,” one reviewer wrote. “She enjoyed it and it didn’t have the adult themes or conversation that I have to explain later when she ask [sic] me.”
“I took my four year old son to watch this movie as he’s super into Mario and he LOVED it. I loved the humor in the movie, the colors and animation. It is a good story line and just a great family friendly movie. I have no complaints,” another viewer gushed.
“Fans of video games and especially the Super Mario series will love. A simple and sweet movie for the family filled with lots of care and love for the game series. Was smiling from ear-to-ear all the way through the movie,” another person wrote.
It should not be this hard to convince Hollywood what is working right now. The proof is at the box office. Big-budget movies with scurrilous messages and questionable content just aren’t flying. Perhaps we are seeing the tide turns as non-woke movies and non-woke actors like Chris Pratt are turning everything they touch into box office gold.
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