“Barbie” is now the third-highest grossing movie of the year in global box office. It’s now chasing two mega blockbusters that finally drop on streaming this week.
Wouldn’t you know it? They both star Chris Pratt with Star Lord vs. Super Mario!
Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3” drops on Disney+ on Wednesday, while Nintendo’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” hits Peacock on Thursday as the industry largely settles into a 90-day gap between theatrical and streaming releases, ditching the simultaneous day-and-date experiment during the pandemic.
With a budget of $250 million, “Guardians 3” easily made its money back, ranking second in the global box office at $845 million and fourth in the U.S. box office at $359 million this year. Picking up after the events of “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), the sequel explores the backstory of Bradley Cooper’s Rocket as Star Lord, Drax, Groot and Gamora battle the supervillain High Evolutionary, who wants to repopulate the Earth with a “perfect” species.
“Vol. 1 & 2” are also available on Disney+ if you want an alternative to Marvel’s new miniseries “Secret Invasion,” which wrapped last week on Disney+ with the worst Rotten Tomatoes score in MCU history. It’s a shame the studio waited so long to give Nick Fury his own vehicle before superhero fatigue set in after a decade of over-saturation. “The Marvels” arrives Nov. 10, but it’s losing IMAX screens to “Oppenheimer.”
Speaking of which, I just saw a trailer for DC Comics’ “The Blue Beetle,” which I honestly thought was a joke, appearing like a spoof of Spider-Man. Turns out, The Blue Beetle first appeared in comic books in 1939, long before Spidey in 1962. Sadly, audiences won’t see it that way, having seen a plethora of Spidey flicks for 20 years, including this year’s “Across the Spider-Verse,” so I’m predicting “Blue Beetle” to flop on Aug. 18.
If you watch Star Lord’s latest adventure and you still want more Chris Pratt, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” arrives Thursday exclusively on Peacock, which also carries the greatest role he ever did as Andy Dwyer (and FBI agent Burt Macklin) in NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” (2009-2015). The streaming experience includes behind-the-scenes interviews, a “video field guide” and a singalong video of the soundtrack “Peaches.”
Pratt voices the title plumber Mario alongside Charlie Day (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) as Luigi, Keegan-Michael Key (“Key & Peele”) as Toad and Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”) as Princess Peach. Together, they battle the Koopa Troopas led by the evil Bowser, voiced by Jack Black (“School of Rock”).
The April blockbuster was a surprise smash, considering the 1993 live-action version tanked. Universal Pictures can thank nostalgic parents who grew up on the video games and wanted to bring their children to a family-friendly flick. The computer-animated film made a major profit on its $100 million budget as it has since become the year’s top grosser with $575 million in U.S. box office and $1.35 billion in global box office.
Will it be “Ken-ough” to fend off “Barbie?” Enjoy it while it lasts, Mario. I have a feeling “the princess is in another castle,” because “Barbie” is is right on its heels (pun intended) and coming for that crown!
