(Los Angeles) The Super Mario Bros. Movie came comfortably ahead of the North American box office finish line for Easter weekend on Sunday, a performance that could be one of the best of the year.

The animated film produced by Universal, Nintendo and Illumination studios has racked up $146 million in revenue for its first weekend in theaters, according to estimates by specialist firm Exhibitor Relations.

Mario appears in a feature film where he and his brother Luigi face the dreadful Bowser in the Mushroom Kingdom. And in theaters across the United States and Canada, “the numbers are stunning,” said David Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

According to him, this is the best start for the first opus of an animated film, a success which he explains by its appeal to very different audiences: children, but also adults nostalgic for the most famous hero. in the history of video games.

The dungarees-and-mustache-wearing plumber outstrips – by a long shot – the fourth installment of the John Wick saga, in which Keanu Reeves reprises his role as a hitman fighting an international crime syndicate, which lands in second place with 14.6 million dollars raised.

In third place, the one that was leading last weekend: the big-budget action movie Dungeons

Ben Affleck’s latest film, Air, which chronicles the origins of Nike shoes from NBA legend Michael Jordan, lands fourth (14.4 million), “a very good score” for a film in this category according to expert David Gross.

Finally coming in at No. 5 for North America is the new installment of the Scream saga, Scream VI starring Courteney Cox and Wednesday series star Jenna Ortega, with 3.3 million.

6. His only son (3,3 millions de dollars)

7. Creed III (2,8 millions)

8. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (1,6 million de dollars)

9. Paint (750 000 dollars)

10. A Thousand and One (600 000 dollars)