Disney CEO Bob Iger has paid tribute to rival Universal’s Super Mario Bros. film’

Magic Kingdom is a fan of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Disney CEO Bob Iger used part of his opening remarks during Wednesday’s earnings call to praise Universal Studios’ “Super Mario Bros.” movie and its success at the global box office.

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Iger said, “Let me digress for a moment to congratulate Universal on the massive success of Super Mario Bros.” “It certainly proves people’s love of being entertained in theaters around the world, and gives us reason to be optimistic about the film industry.”

Universal did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Iger’s comments.

Super Mario Bros. More than $1.1 billion globally since its launch in early April, proving that family-friendly films, especially animated films, can succeed in the wake of the pandemic.

Disney’s theatrical animated content has lagged at the box office since the pandemic. Some analysts have blamed slowing ticket sales on market confusion over which Disney movies are streaming-only and which have wider theatrical releases. Others said Disney did a poor job of marketing its animated films to audiences.

Lightyear, the sequel to the highly profitable Toy Story series, grossed just over $200 million worldwide last summer, and “Strange World” flopped in the fall with less than $100 million in global ticket sales.

Meanwhile, Universal has been hugely successful at the box office, with Minions: The Rise of Gru grossing nearly $940 million worldwide and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish grossing nearly $500 million worldwide. .

The widespread success of the Super Mario Brothers movie could pave the way for upcoming Disney releases, which include the Pixar movie “Elemental” and the Thanksgiving release “Wish.” When parents and kids entered theaters to see the Nintendo flick, they were treated to advertisements for upcoming animated features, including Disney’s slate.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.