'Beau afraid' takes off and 'Mario' is no less great - but 'Air' isn't 'Argo' at the box office

With a stunning $87 million total for the second weekend, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" (Universal) justifies its potential to become the best domestic release of 2023. The Illumination Animation adaptation of the Nintendo game only dropped 41%, exceeding even the most generous estimates for its hold.

With $348 million already dropped in its first 12 days and a strong following suggesting broad audience interest and repeat viewing, "Super Mario Bros." looks set for at least $600 million in total. That would be a domestic hold surpassed only by 'Top Gun: Maverick' and 'Avatar: The Way of Water' last year - and a level not assumed for a number of potentially strong upcoming releases, especially with Marvel titles. still strong but below past levels. Worldwide, it already stands at $678 million.

"Super Mario Bros." accounted for more than 60 percent of gross in a remarkable week for five new Top Ten films. In a return to a feast or starvation split, none opened even at $10 million, or any other title. This begs the question of how wholesome things are - does "Super Mario Bros." suggest that the upcoming big hits will exceed expectations, or is this an exception?

Meanwhile, three new platform titles showed their initial strength, in particular "Beau Is Afraid" (A24), which lasts three hours. Ari Aster's latest film, starring Joaquin Phoenix, to $320,000 in four theaters, earned the second-best take-per-theatre of any release since 2019. The eco-documentary "Wild Life" (Picturehouse) made its debut in two cities, led by New York, while the Norwegian satire "Still Life" (Utopia) also showed promise.

“Renfield”

Universal

"The Pope's Exorcist" (Sony) leads the new releases with a whopping $9,150,000. At least it's a low-budget title (at $18 million). 'Renfield' (Universal) grossed $65 million, with Nicolas Cage's Dracula-themed film (on the 4th anniversary of his first 'Valley Girl') among three titles nearly tied for third place at just under $7.8 million.

At just under $8 million right now, Amazon's "Air" (MGM) has seen a bigger-than-expected drop of 47%. It might not look so bad for a second weekend, but there are several reasons to be concerned. Adult-oriented movies that rely on word of mouth — especially when they have a good but not a great start like "Air" — generally show greater strength in their takes. And the drop comes after a holiday weekend where, due to its opening on Wednesday, some of the initial audience...