Chris Pratt is no stranger to making hit movies. Between his part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Jurassic World trilogy, he has has a prominent role in a number of the biggest box office hits of the last decade. As such, it's not wholly surprising that he is now at the center of yet another big screen success story – The Super Mario Bros. Movie – but evidently that doesn't mean that he is any less impressed by the reaction that the animated video game film has received from audiences.
Entertainment Tonight recently did an interview with the A-lister, and it was while talking about his latest string of hits that the conversation turned to The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Debuting in theaters at the start of April and instantly becoming a box office hit, the feature is the biggest film of 2023 thus far, having made $1.3 billion worldwide. Chris Pratt expressed that he has been wowed by the response to the work from Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment, saying,
[It's] really shocking to me how successful that movie's been. I mean, I expected that people would love it the way I was excited about it, but it's truly multigenerational around the world. People love it. They love Mario... It's a really fun, funny, cute, heartwarming movie and, God, I can't believe I'm part of it.
The ticket sale numbers put up by The Super Mario Bros. Movie are impressive – but one of the bigger surprises from the phenomenal theatrical run has been the lack of news about a sequel. Based on the way things typically play out, one would have thought that a Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 would have been announced immediately after the animated film had the biggest opening weekend of 2023, but there has been no official word about a follow-up. It will undoubtedly happen, but Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo have remained mum about it.
According to Chris Pratt, what's holding things up is the on-going WGA Writers Strike. The actor says that development of a Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 is on hold in solidarity with the filmmakers who are presently picketing the major Hollywood studios, and work will resume when a deal is reached. Said Pratt,
We're in the midst of this writers' strike, and so everything has been paused and [put] on hold for the right reasons. I really do support the WGA and our writers. When the negotiations have been completed, and the writers feel comfortable moving forward, then it'll be time to start talking about what's next for that. We're so grateful for the support, though.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie, featuring a stellar cast that includes Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, and Seth Rogen, is still playing in over 2,000 theaters nationwide, and actually took sixth place in the box office Top 10 this past weekend. Streaming dates have not yet been announced, but you can digitally rent and purchase the film from major online retailers including Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple, and Google Play.
