'Super Mario Bros. Movie' is now the highest-grossing video game adaptation ever

There's a new high score on the leader board! According to Variety, The Super Mario Bros. Movie (now playing in theaters everywhere) has become the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time with over $500 million at the worldwide box office.

The previous record-holder was 2016's Warcraft (helmed by Duncan Jones) with $438 million globally. Since opening on the big screen last weekend to milestone ticket sales, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has racked up $260.3 million domestically and $248.4 million internationally. Co-produced by Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment, and Nintendo, the animated blockbuster — which marks the first attempt to bring the Mario mythos to moviegoing audiences in three decades — is also the highest-grossing release of 2023 so far.

RELATED: Watch 'Mario' star Chris Pratt go real-life Mario Kart, slinging turtle shells from a golf cart

"The video game genre now gets a level up by virtue of Mario’s unprecedented performance in theaters and opens the door for more films from this genre, particularly animated PG-rated films, to get the green-light," Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst at Comscore, tells SYFY WIRE. "However, his type of success was years in the making and required a perfectly-executed marketing, distribution, and release strategy. And though the path to more video game adaptations may have been cleared of some financial hurdles and creative obstacles, building another perfect beast like this Mario will not be an easy ‘power-up’ for any studio looking to get into the game."

Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) and Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) voice Mario and Luigi, two Brooklyn-based brothers who find themselves caught up in an epic struggle between the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser (a now-viral Jack Black).

Supporting players include Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad), Seth Rogen (Donkey Kong), Fred Armisen (Cranky Kong), Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek), Sebastian Maniscalco (Spike), and Charlies Martinet (the longtime voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi in the hit games enjoys a brief cameo near the start of the film).

Illumination founder/CEO Chris Meledandri and Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Super Mario and several other hit gaming franchises) produced the feature, which was co-directed by Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath (both of whom are veterans of the Teen Titans GO! franchise). Matthew Fogel (The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Minions: The Rise of Gru) penned the screenplay.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now playing in theaters everywhere. Tickets are on sale here!

Want more Illumination goodness in your life? Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 are now streaming on Peacock.