Nate

Gonna see how this weekend goes, but Beauty and the Beast is still feeling like a solid comp for Mario. Beauty made ~90m in its second weekend, which is higher than what we’ll see for Mario, but the totals should be relatively close after Sunday (beauty was at 320m). Its weekdays for the next week were all between 6-9.5m, which could also be something to reasonably expect from Mario next week. https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/custom-comparisons/Super-Mario-Bros-Movie-The-(2022)/Beauty-and-the-Beast-(2017)#tab=day_by_day_comparison

With its multi-generational nostalgic appeal, 500m domestic total, non-Summer release, ~11m first Wednesday and Thursday, and ~320m dom through its second Sunday, Beauty and the Beast is starting to feel like it may be the best comp here.

If you're referring to purely blockbuster/popcorn movies, then I can see this argument. But for the most part, don't trust business guys to make creative decisions. That's not their skill.