The Super Mario Bros. Movie currently dominates Sonic the Hedgehog 3 77–24

Nintendo's animated juggernaut routs the hedgehog's third lap.

77% 24%

Based on 17 head-to-head votes across 1 bracket

The Verdict

This matchup has 17 votes — still early. The picture may shift as more people weigh in.

Illumination's Mario film succeeds by doing exactly what the IP requires: bright colors, familiar characters, a plot that demands nothing beyond recognition of a mushroom and a plumber. That strategic simplicity generated $1.3 billion globally because it served the broadest possible audience without alienating any segment of it. Fowler's Sonic 3 has the Shadow the Hedgehog addition and Keanu Reeves's voice work, both effective, but the third film in a franchise carries obligations — continuity management, character development, audience expectations — that a first film's strategic simplicity doesn't. The gap says simplicity outperforms obligation when both are serving video-game IP.

The Numbers

	The Super Mario Bros. Movie	Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Head-to-Head	77%	24%
Overall Win Rate	51%	36%
Championships	7	1
Budget	$100M	$122M
Box Office	$1.4B	$492M

Where This Matchup Sits

In the 2020s on BingeBracket: The Super Mario Bros. Movie is in the upper half and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is in the bottom quarter, out of 43 films.

Looking at shared opponents, Tin Soldier draws a line between them: The Super Mario Bros. Movie dominates that matchup, but Sonic the Hedgehog 3 comes out on the wrong side.

Round by round within tournaments, later rounds favor The Super Mario Bros. Movie while Sonic the Hedgehog 3 fades — the gap between them widens as the bracket deepens.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie at 13.6x its budget, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 at 4.0x. The film that overperformed commercially also takes the head-to-head.