The Super Mario Bros Movie ices Frozen to become second biggest animated film of all time

One 2019 film still has it beaten, however...

The Super Mario Bros Movie has overtaken Frozen (2013) to become the second highest-grossing animated film of all time.

The film, released earlier this year, is adapted from Nintendo’s hit video game franchise of the same name.

As of Tuesday (30 May), The Super Mario Bros Movie has taken in US$1,288,321,030 at the global box office, nearly $4m more than Frozen’s total of US$1,284,540,518, without being adjusted for inflation.

The highest-grossing animated film of all time remains 2019’s sequel Frozen II, which took in a staggering $1,453,683,476 at the box office.

Disney’s 2019 remake of The Lion King is sometimes described as an animated film, due to its extensive use of computer animation; by this descriptor, its box office total of $1,663,075,401 would make it the highest-grossing animated film ever. However, others consider the Lion King remake to be a live-action film, something that Disney itself has stated.

The Super Mario Bros Movie also currently ranks as the biggest film of the year, and is the 20th highest-grossing film of all time across all genres.

It stars Chris Pratt as Mario, and Charlie Day as his brother Luigi. Jack Black, Anya Taylor-Joy, Seth Rogen and Keegan-Michael Key also feature.

In a two-star review for The Independent, Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “[The film’s] comfortable mediocrity is no better captured than in its choice to cast Chris Pratt – the current face of generic, easy-to-market heroism – in the starring role.

Chris Pratt voices Mario in ‘The Super Mario Bros Movie’ (Illumination)

“Pratt, it should be said, is perfectly capable of the sort of outsized performance Mario needed, having previously turned in himbos of equal, puppyish élan in The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy. But the Pratt called upon here is of the blandly sincere, hire-a-hero variety, delivering lines like ‘let’s-a-go!’ and ‘mamma mia!’ with all the vigour of a contractual obligation and not a trace of Italian.”

The Super Mario Bros Movie is still available to watch in UK cinemas.