Zack Sharf Digital News Director “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is heading toward $1 billion at the worldwide box office, which is a far cry from the disastrous fate that met the first attempt to bring the Nintendo video game franchise to life. The live-action “Super Mario Bros.” movie in 1993 crashed and burned at the box office, grossing less than $40 million worldwide. Many Mario fans found the film too dark and adult-oriented, but Luigi actor John Leguizamo recently told GQ magazine in a video interview that what they shot was far darker than what was released. “[The directors] had this dark, dark vision that Disney was not okay with so there was all this butt-heading that was incredible,” Leguizamo said. “That party scene? Those were all strippers from North Carolina that they put on the set and they had them in the most revealing clothes and costumes.”
Original ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Directors Were ‘Abandoned by Hollywood’ After ‘Reviled’ 1993 Film. Then Quentin Tarantino Helped Vindicate Them
06.04.2023 - 17:05 / variety.com
Ethan Shanfeld Last month, Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel went to the theater to see “Super Mario Bros.,” a movie they directed 30 years ago — and haven’t watched since. The live-action 1993 film, starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi, bombed at the box office and landed on various “Worst Movies of All Time” lists, later developing a passionate cult following. In the directors’ own words, “Super Mario Bros.” was so “reviled” that it left a “black mark” on the married couple’s careers. That is, until a midnight screening held at Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema “washed away the stain.”
“My thought was that there would be 10 or 20 people there,” Morton tells Variety. “But it was jam-packed. There were people queueing up around the block for extra tickets.” During the film, Morton says the audience was “laughing and clapping at all the right places. They weren’t doing it ironically; it was genuine.”
“It was like being at a film festival,” Jankel adds, amazed that dozens of fans approached her for autographs and selfies. “It was vindicating. It took 30 years of a bad feeling to be wiped out in one evening.” The screening came after Tarantino shouted out Morton and Jankel on his podcast, “The Video Archives Podcast,” in which he and Roger Avary revisit classic films and VHS gems. On the show, the “Pulp Fiction” director applauded Morton and Jankel’s first feature film, 1988’s “D.O.A.” “I think Quentin Tarantino understands where we’re coming from, creatively,” Morton says. “It’s a certain quirkiness that didn’t fit in nicely with the Hollywood scene at the time.” The timing of Jankel and Morton’s day in the sun is not lost on them. On April 5, Universal released “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” an
A Quentin Tarantino stage show is coming to London
Quentin Tarantino-inspired stage show is coming to London, and will celebrate iconic moments and songs from the director’s films.READ MORE: Quentin Tarantino’s film soundtracks – ranked!The cabaret-style show, Tarantino Live: Fox Force Five & the Tyranny of Evil Men, has already proven to be a hit in the US and has run for 13 years in Los Angeles. Now, it will be making its way across the pond and is set to arrive in London this summer.It’ll be set in Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios – kicking off on June 6 – and will run for a 10-week season, ending on August 13.Created by Shane Scheel, the founder and executive producer of For The Record, and Anderson Davis, who adapted and directed the show, Tarantino Live will reference the countless iconic moments captured throughout films including Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, and celebrate the music used throughout them.“[It’s] like you’re stepping into the mind of a famous Hollywood director,” Davis told Deadline.
Jack Black’s ‘Peaches’ from ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ breaks into US charts
Jack Black‘s ballad ‘Peaches’ from The Super Mario Bros. Movie has entered the Billboard Hot 100.The track, which is sung by Black’s character Bowser to Princess Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, has debuted at Number 83 on the chart with 5.8million US streams and 6,000 downloads in its first week.
Quentin Tarantino to Attend Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight For ‘Secret Screening’ and Honorary Tribute
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Quentin Tarantino has been named honorary guest at the upcoming edition of Directors’ Fortnight, the selection running alongside the Cannes Film Festival. The tribute will take place on May 25, on the closing of Directors Fortnight. “As an exceptional and generous cinephile, Tarantino is at home at the Fortnight. He will be our guest this year to present a secret screening and discuss his counter-history of cinema,” said Directors’ Fortnight in a statement. Tarantino was recently in Paris to promote his first non-fiction book, “Cinema Speculation,” which tells his coming-of-age as a director through a look at iconic American films from the 1970s era.
Quentin Tarantino reveals his “favourite tense moment” from one of his movies
Quentin Tarantino has named his “favourite tense moment” from one of his films.Speaking to Spanish publication El País, the Pulp Fiction director discussed his process for making tense scenes, before being asked to pick a standout example.“From my movies? The one from the farm at the beginning of Inglourious Basterds,” he said. “With the Nazi officer Hans Landa talking to the owner of the farm, who is hiding Jews in his cellar.”When asked about his process for creating tension in such scenes, he replied: “I don’t know how to explain it.
Quentin Tarantino weighs in on gun laws debate: “I have a gun for protection”
Quentin Tarantino has weighed in on the debate around gun laws in the US, saying he owns a gun “for protection”.After a recent spate of shootings in the United States, calls are once again being made for gun reform.Asked about his opinion on the topic by El Pais, Tarantino said there are “always two sides” to the debate, adding: “We certainly don’t need as many automatic weapons as there are. There should be better laws.
Quentin Tarantino reveals why he doesn’t like sex scenes in his movies
Diari ARA this week.He continued, “And the truth is that, in real life, it’s a pain to shoot sex scenes, everyone is very tense. And if it was already a bit problematic to do it before, now it is even more so.”However, the director did note that if there was ever an intimate scene that was “essential” to the story of the film, he would go for it, but it “hasn’t been necessary.”His 1997 film, “Jackie Brown,” is the only movie that features a racy scene between Bridget Fonda and Robert De Niro. The movie followed a flight attendant, who was played by Pam Grier, showing her journey as she navigates getting busted for smuggling money.
Quentin Tarantino reveals why his movies don't show sex: 'It's a pain'
Quentin Tarantino suggested that sex scenes are unnecessary when working on his films. The 60-year-old "Pulp Fiction" director pointed out that he includes barely any nudity in his projects because he said it’s "problematic." "It’s true, sex is not part of my vision of cinema," Tarantino told Spain’s Diari ARA during an interview.
Quentin Tarantino Explains Why He Doesn’t Do Sex Scenes In His Movies
Fans of Quentin Tarantino’s cinematic output may have noticed that there’s one area where the acclaimed filmmaker rarely visits: the bedroom.
Quentin Tarantino says box office flop was a “shock to my confidence”
Quentin Tarantino has said the poor box office performance of Death Proof impacted his confidence as a director.The 2007 action-thriller stars Kurt Russell as a stuntman who murders young women with modified cars. The film grossed only $31million (£24.9m) at the box office on a budget of $30million, which is considered a failure compared to Tarantino’s other works.Speaking to Spanish outlet Diari ARA to promote his latest book Cinema Speculation, the director explained how the film’s poor reception led to him receiving more project proposals from Hollywood.“I have been lucky enough to write stories that have connected with many people, and this has allowed me to practise my art without restrictions that most filmmakers have,” Tarantino said.“Now, a funny thing happened: for a while I was getting a lot of project proposals, until the studios ended up assuming that I do my stories and it wasn’t worth the effort.
Quentin Tarantino Says ‘The Movie Critic’ Is About A “Real” But “Not Known” Male Critic & Isn’t A Revenge Movie
Quentin Tarantino is now on the international leg of his book tour for “Cinema Speculation,” the director’s first work of film criticism. And the tour also now serves as a way for the press to, well, press Tarantino about his upcoming tenth and final film, “The Movie Critic.” With its late-1970s LA setting, many believed the titular main character could be based on Pauline Kael, the lauded long-time critic for The New Yorker who had a brief stint working in Hollywood.
‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ breaks box office records with huge opening weekend
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has broken box office records in its opening weekend.The video game adaptation took $376.5million (£303m) at the global box office in its first five days of release, beating Frozen II’s ($358m) record for the most successful global opening of all time for an animated film.The film also scored the best opening ever for a movie based on a video game, and beat Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania as the biggest film opening in 2023 so far.According to The Hollywood Reporter, it also broke domestic records in the US with $204.6m (£165m) in takings: earning the second best three-day weekend for an animated title behind The Incredibles 2, the biggest five day launch ever after beating Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen ($200m) and the biggest opening ever for studio Illumination (Despicable Me, Minions).Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, The Super Mario Bros.
Jack Black wants Pedro Pascal to play Wario in ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ sequel
The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and wants Pedro Pascal to play Wario.Black stars as Bowser in the new film, which was released this week and has proved an early hit at the box office.Talking to Game Spot, the star and Tenacious D singer looked ahead to a potential sequel, and the idea that Mario’s arch-rival, Wario, may be introduced.“It’s not a given that Bowser will return,” he said.
David Lynch praises Quentin Tarantino film: “It’s a hell of a good revenge movie”
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.In the latest issue of Cahiers du Cinema, Lynch praised how good a “revenge movie” the film is.He said: “Tarantino’s [Once Upon A Time in Hollywood] shows how real life events could have turned out very differently. It’s a hell of a good revenge movie, done in feel good fashion”.In a five star review of the film, NME said: “It would be wrong to declare OUAT…IH to be quite so perfectly formed as Pulp Fiction, but there is no doubt that this is his most well-rounded and satisfying work since.
Original Luigi actor John Leguizamo refuses to watch ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’
The Super Mario Bros. Movie due to its lack of diversity.The actor, who played Luigi in the 1993 live-action film Super Mario Bros. opposite Bob Hoskins, told TMZ he won’t watch the animated reboot because the film “messed up” by not including Latin actors in the voice cast.“They could’ve included a Latin character,” Leguizamo said.
John Leguizamo Refuses to See 'Super Mario Bros. Movie' - Find Out the Reason Why
John Leguizamo is not seeing the Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Seth Rogen Think ‘Super Mario Bros.’ ’93 Is “One Of The Worst Films Ever Made’ While John Leguizamo Says “Hell No!” To Watching New Film
With “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” now out in theaters, it’s time to see if Universal‘s animated feature performs better than the 1993 live-action film.
Former Luigi Actor John Leguizamo Says ‘Hell No’ to Watching ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ Due to Casting: ‘They Messed Up the Inclusion’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director John Leguizamo is doubling down on criticizing Universal and Illumination’s animated film “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which casts Chris Pratt and Charlie Day in the leading voice roles of Mario and Luigi. Leguizamo brought Luigi to life in a live-action format opposite Bob Hoskins’ Mario in 1993’s “Super Mario Bros.” The actor told TMZ on the day “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” opened in theaters that he won’t be watching it due to the casting. “No I will not [be watching]. They could’ve included a Latin character,” Leguizamo said. “Like I was groundbreaking and then they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion. They dis-included. Just cast some Latin folk! We’re 20% of the population. The largest people of color group and we are underrepresented.”
‘Super Mario Bros’ Jumping To $127.5M, Second Best 5-Day Debut For Illumination – Midday Box Office
Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s Super Mario Bros Movie doesn’t need a mushroom to get bigger, it just organically is. Out of the gate today Wednesday, sans any Tuesday previews, the feature take of the classic game is looking at $26M, for what’s translating into a $86.2M 3-day, $127.5M Wednesday through Sunday haul. Interesting, even though its opening day was a Friday, Paramount/Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 had a $26.3M first day a year ago (that included Thursday previews). That film currently holds the 3-day record for a videogame feature adaptation with $72.1M, a benchmark which Super Mario Bros looks to squash.
Who voices Mario in ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie boasts an impressive voice cast of Hollywood actors.Directed by Aaron Horvarth and Michael Jelenic, the animated film is a collaboration between Nintendo, Universal Pictures and Illumination (Despicable Me, The Secret Life Of Pets).It’s the second adaptation of the Mushroom Kingdom on the big screen, following the 1993 live-action interpretation starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo.Chris Pratt voices Mario, who is originally voiced by Charles Martinet in the games.