Actor-comedian Jack Black is widely known for his work in family and comedy movies including School of Rock, The Holiday, High Fidelity, Welcome to Jungle, and more. Black in addition to being a skilled actor and a comedian is also a musician who is the lead vocalist of the band Tenacious D.
Jack Black is also known for his voice work in animated movies including Ice Age, Shark Tale, Kung Fu Panda franchise, and more. The actor voiced the role of Bowser in The Super Mario Bros., a movie that premiered in 2023 and was directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. Jack Black in a recent interview discusses his disappointment with the bad reviews that came out for the movie despite it being good.
Jack Black questions critics of Rotten Tomatoes for ‘bad reviews’ of The Super Mario Bros.
Actor-comedian Jack Black in a recent interview with Total Film via Games Radar addressed the bad reviews The Super Mario Bros., movie received from critics at Rotten Tomatoes. RT gave a critic score of 59% to the movie compared to the 95% that the audience scored for the movie. The actor voiced the character of Bowser who is the antagonist and King of the Koopas in the movie and went ahead to say,
“They screened it for me a month before it hit theatres. I was like, ‘We’ve got a hit on our hands’. I ‘m laughing and smiling the whole way through this movie. And then it came out and it got horrible reviews. I was like, ‘What movie did they see?’”
Black continued to appreciate the fans who despite bad reviews decided to go and watch the movie. He added,
“Luckily, the world didn’t listen to Rotten Tomatoes and it was one of the biggest hits of all time.”
The Super Mario Bros. not only grossed over $1.36 billion worldwide but also recorded the biggest worldwide opening weekend for an animated movie. It is the third highest-grossing animated movie following 2019’s The Lion King and Frozen II. Actor Chris Pratt voiced the main character; Mario in the movie which was also one of the topics that garnered a lot of attention at the time as fans didn’t think that he was an apt choice for the character.
Jack Black to play Steve in the Minecraft movie?
According to reports from Variety, the actor is set to appear in another iconic video game adaptation; Minecraft, and is rumored to play the character of Steve; the original default character skin for Minecraft. He is one of the nine character skins developed by Markus “Notch” Persson.
The movie also stars actors including Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Matt Berry, and more. Talking to Total Film via Games Radar about the upcoming movie, the actor said,
“They’re both video game related but in terms of approach, live action is a different ball of wax. I’m really excited to get back into the creative space with Jared Hess, the director. We worked together on Nacho Libre years ago. It’s been fun jamming with Jared.”
The actor describes the movie adaptation as a very different experience. However, there has been no clarity on what is the movie going to be about or who is writing the script for it or if Black is actually playing Steve in the movie. Variety however noted that the adaptation of the video game has been in the works for years with Shawn Levy, Rob McElhenney, and Peter Sollett with Jared Hess being the one directing it finally.
The Super Mario Bros. is available for streaming on Netflix.
Frequently asked questions
What did critics think of The Super Mario Bros. Movie compared to audiences?
Critics gave the film 59 percent on Rotten Tomatoes while audiences rated it 95 percent, a 36 point gap. Jack Black, who voiced Bowser, said he was baffled by the negative reviews after seeing a positive reaction at an early screening a month before release.
What did Jack Black say about the film’s reception?
Black recalled laughing throughout an early screening and thinking they had a hit on their hands, then being confused by the critical panning, asking what movie the critics saw. He credited audiences for ignoring Rotten Tomatoes and turning the film into a massive hit.
How successful was The Super Mario Bros. Movie at the box office?
The film grossed over 1.36 billion dollars worldwide, setting a record for the biggest animated film opening weekend ever. It became the third highest grossing animated movie of all time, trailing only The Lion King from 2019 and Frozen II.
