PLANO, Texas —
Thanks to strong attendance in movie theaters for multiple movies during a holiday weekend, the Plano-based company Cinemark saw some of its best in-person performances since before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States.
Cinemark announced that on Saturday, April 8, the company captured the highest single day of attendance since Christmas Day of 2019.
The wide range of films on the big screen, led by Illumination Animation and Universal Pictures’ "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," as well as a strong opening from Amazon Studio’s "Air" and significant carry-over from films such as "John Wick: Chapter 4," "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," and "Scream VI," drove more than one million tickets sold for the day.
“The sensational openings of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "Air," coupled with outstanding ongoing results from a wide range of films across varied genres this long weekend, further demonstrates the sustained strength of consumer enthusiasm for an immersive, larger-than-life, theatrical experience,” said Sean Gamble, Cinemark President & CEO.
Overall, Nintendo's video game adaptation "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" broke multiple records on its own and finished with the highest-grossing opening for an animated film with $375.6 million in worldwide ticket sales, according to the final numbers.
“We commend our many studio partners for producing such a diverse array of compelling content that captivated a wide range of audiences and enabled Cinemark to achieve this weekend’s significant attendance milestone," Gamble said. "2023 moviegoing is off to an exceptional start, and we are thrilled for consumers to experience a growing volume of highly anticipated films over the coming months.”
Throughout the first few months of 2023, Cinemark said moviegoers have catapulted box office performance beyond expectations, with noteworthy enthusiasm across multiple age groups and genres.
Starting with the horror film "M3gan," and continuing for films such as "80 for Brady," "Creed III," "Scream VI," "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," "John Wick: Chapter 4," and now "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "Air," Cinemark said moviegoers have proven time and time again how much they enjoy seeing all types of films in a shared, cinematic environment.
Cinemark also pointed to more highly anticipated films during the next few months, including "The Little Mermaid," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One," "Fast X," "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," "Elemental," "The Flash," "Oppenheimer," and "Barbie," as a reason to believe the industry box office is well-positioned for continued recovery.