The Super Mario Bros. Movie Budget
FamilyComedyAdventureFantasyAnimation1h 33mUpdated
Synopsis
While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers Mario and brother Luigi are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi. With the assistance of a Mushroom Kingdom resident Toad and some training from the strong-willed ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach, Mario taps into his own power.
What is the budget of The Super Mario Bros. Movie?
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie," a family released in 2023, was directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic and stars Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy. The production budget was $100,000,000, placing it in the high-budget range for family productions of its era.
Key Budget Allocation Categories
While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a family production like this include:
- Talent Salaries & Producing Deals: Established comedic talent can command $15 to 20 million per film, with top-tier stars earning even more through producing credits and backend deals.
- Production & Location Filming: While comedies generally avoid the VFX costs of action films, location shooting in recognizable cities or exotic locales adds meaningful production expense.
- Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising): Comedies rely heavily on marketing to build opening-weekend momentum.
What were the major cost factors in The Super Mario Bros. Movie?
Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
- Talent Salaries: Talent Salaries & Producing Deals is one of the primary cost drivers in family productions of this scale.
- Production: Production & Location Filming is one of the primary cost drivers in family productions of this scale.
- Marketing: Marketing & P&A (Prints & Advertising) is one of the primary cost drivers in family productions of this scale.
How Does The Super Mario Bros. Movie's Budget Compare to Similar Films?
At $100,000,000, The Super Mario Bros. Movie sits in the high-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:
- 1917 (2019): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $446,064,352
- American Gangster (2007): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $269,755,430
- Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024): Budget $100,000,000 , Gross $404,547,819
- Batman Forever (1995): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $336,529,144
- Bicentennial Man (1999): Budget $100,000,000, Worldwide Gross $87,423,861
The median budget for wide-release family films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Box Office Performance
"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" earned $573,954,955 domestically and $1,360,879,735 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $100,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.
A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," that break-even threshold was roughly $200,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $1,360,879,735, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.
- Production Budget: $100,000,000
- Worldwide Gross: $1,360,879,735
- Net Return: $1,260,879,735
- ROI: approximately 1260.9%
At 1260.9%, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" earned roughly $13.61 for every $1 invested in production.
Awards and Recognition
2 wins & 49 nominations total
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to make The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)?
The production budget was $100,000,000, covering principal photography, cast and crew salaries, locations, sets, post-production, and music. Marketing and distribution (P&A) costs are estimated at an additional $50,000,000 - $80,000,000, bringing the total studio investment to approximately $150,000,000 - $180,000,000.
How much did The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) earn at the box office?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed $573,954,955 domestic, $786,924,780 international, totaling $1,360,879,735 worldwide.
Was The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) profitable?
Yes. Against a production budget of $100,000,000 and estimated total costs of ~$250,000,000, the film earned $1,360,879,735 theatrically - a 1261% ROI on production costs alone.
What were the biggest costs in producing The Super Mario Bros. Movie?
The primary cost drivers were above-the-line talent (Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day); star comedian salaries, location filming, and aggressive marketing campaigns; international production across Japan, United States of America.
How does The Super Mario Bros. Movie's budget compare to similar family films?
At $100,000,000, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is classified as a big-budget production. The median budget for wide-release family films in the 2020s ranges from $30 - 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles. Comparable budgets: 1917 (2019, $100,000,000); American Gangster (2007, $100,000,000); Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024, $100,000,000).
Did The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) go over budget?
There are no widely reported accounts of significant budget overruns for this production. However, studios rarely disclose precise budget overrun figures publicly. The reported production budget reflects the final estimated cost.
What was the return on investment (ROI) for The Super Mario Bros. Movie?
The theatrical ROI was 1260.9%, calculated as ($1,360,879,735 − $100,000,000) ÷ $100,000,000 × 100. This measures gross revenue against production budget only - it does not account for P&A or exhibitor shares.
What awards did The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) win?
2 wins & 49 nominations total.
Who directed The Super Mario Bros. Movie and who were the key crew members?
Directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, written by Matthew Fogel, with music by Brian Tyler, Koji Kondo, edited by Eric E. Osmond.
Where was The Super Mario Bros. Movie filmed?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie was filmed in Japan, United States of America. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filmmakers
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Official Trailer
Budget Templates
Build your own production budget
Create professional budgets with industry-standard feature film templates. Real-time collaboration, no spreadsheets.
Start Budgeting Free
