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National

Media Trends

Axios Media Trends

"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" blew past expectations in its weekend debut, bringing in a whopping $377 million in global box office sales and $204.6 million in domestic sales between Wednesday and Sunday, per Comscore. 

Why it matters: The Nintendo film has overtaken Disney's 2019 hit "Frozen 2" for the best weekend opener for an animated film. 

It's also easily become the biggest opener of the year, topping Disney's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."

Details: Between Friday and Sunday, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" brought in an estimated $146.36 million domestically and another $173 million internationally across 70 markets, according to Comscore. 

By comparison, "Ant-Man" brought in $104 million domestically and $225 million worldwide in the same three-day window over President's Day weekend in February.  

"The Super Mario Bros. Movie," which was produced by Illumination and Nintendo and distributed by Universal Pictures, also drove the biggest IMAX opening weekend of all time, with $21.6 million globally, per Comscore. 

Other movies debuting over the weekend didn't stand a chance next to Super Mario Bros. Ben Affleck's biographical sports drama "Air" brought in $14.4 million in its domestic debut over the three-day weekend and $24.9 million worldwide.

Between the lines: The movie has already become the most successful video game adaptation ever, trouncing 2022's "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," which brought in $190 million globally and $72 million in the U.S. and Canada. 

"Video game movies just got a huge next level boost from the performance of 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie,'" Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Axios. 

Yes, but: "[I]t's not like this is an easily repeatable outcome," Dergarabedian cautioned, barring another "Super Mario" sequel. 

"For every "Mario" and "Sonic," there are countless other attempts that fell flat with audiences either through a failure of creative execution or a misguided marketing and release strategy," he said.

"[B]ut no matter because at least the reset button has been pressed and the blueprint that Universal, Illumination and of course Nintendo created, will be a north star for future attempts at PG-rated family friendly video game adaptations."

Be smart: Hollywood has a history of making movies and shows based on video games, but this week’s release of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" cements the marriage of the two industries, Axios' Hope King and Stephen Totilo write. 

The big picture: The box office so far this year is pacing closer to pre-pandemic levels than it has in the past two years, but Hollywood needs to get creative if it wants to win theatergoers back for good.  

"Every studio is looking for the next big franchise to create greater revenue-generating and creative big screen opportunities," said Dergarabedian. 

"'Super Mario' is leading the charge for Universal in this next giant step forward for the genre and for the studio."

Go deeper: Hollywood's love affair with video games reaches new high

Super Mario Bros. smashes records with massive box office debut

It's easily become the biggest opener of the year.

Movies

Media

Top stories & latest news on the Federal Reserve, real-time data, plus the biggest shifts happening in the U.S. and global economy.

Economy

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

This week marked a low point for Republicans as they prepare for the 2024 elections: Former President Trump is once again the dominant force in the party, which is showing little indication of trying to appeal to swing voters.

Why it matters: By aligning with Trump's grievances and promoting tougher abortion restrictions, it's increasingly difficult for the GOP to win outside of deep-red strongholds.

Driving the news: Every potential Republican challenger to Trump (with the exception of former Govs. Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie) has adopted the MAGA narrative that Trump is being treated unfairly by a politicized justice system — even when it's in their interest to criticize the GOP frontrunner.

Trump won three new congressional endorsements after he was indicted — from Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who's running for a U.S. Senate seat.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of the leaders of the MAGA movement in Congress, was featured on "60 Minutes" as one of her party's leading power players.

Zoom in: On the same day as Trump's arraignment, voters in swing-state Wisconsin decisively rejected a right-wing judicial candidate in favor of a progressive one.

The election was fought predominantly over abortion rights, as Republicans continue to push for restrictions beyond what the public supports.

In the run-up to his likely presidential campaign, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — the leading Trump alternative in the GOP — is expected to sign a six-week abortion ban that just passed Florida's Senate.

The Cook Political Report's David Wasserman noted that Democratic gains in pivotal swing states — namely Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — have been driven by an uptick in support from white working-class voters over abortion rights.

Between the lines: To hold Republicans' narrow House majority, Speaker Kevin McCarthy will need to hang on to suburban districts where voters are open to backing Republicans but have grown tired of extreme politics.

Of the 33 GOP-held seats that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced as top targets, two-thirds are in urban and suburban areas. President Biden carried 18 of those 33 House districts in 2020.

The GOP's path to a Senate majority runs through redder turf, but some Republicans already are concerned that far-right candidates (such as Rep. Matt Rosendale in Montana or Rep. Alex Mooney in West Virginia) could hurt the GOP's prospects against vulnerable Democratic incumbents.

What we're watching: Other top swing-state Republican Senate contenders have avoided weighing in on Trump, knowing it's a lose-lose situation. If they distance themselves from Trump, it hurts them in a Republican primary. But tie themselves too closely to the former president, and they'll shed independents.

In Ohio, two potential Republican Senate candidates are clashing over Trump. After Trump's indictment, businessman Bernie Moreno tweeted: "It’s time [for] all Republicans to coalesce around President Trump, especially those that just got elected to serve four years in office for a different and important position."

That was seen as a shot at Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who said in February: "When it comes to who’s going to be my party’s standard-bearer in 2024 ... it’s not something I’m going to weigh in on anytime soon."

Asked last month whether he'd support Trump in the primary, potential Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick said: "I’m excited about the primary. There appears to be a number of great people that are going to jump into the arena, and I have not made a decision to support anybody."

He faces a possible primary challenge by Doug Mastriano, who badly lost last year's governor's race with a right-wing message and Trump's backing.

"These moderate types, they can’t win either the primary or general election without the grassroots of Pennsylvania. And right now, they don’t have them," Mastriano said this week. (Mastriano's extreme message led to a landslide 15-point defeat in swing-state Pennsylvania.)

The bottom line: We're a deeply divided and polarized country, split closely between left and right.

But Trump's legal predicament combined with the GOP's exposure on abortion is giving the Democrats a small but important advantage heading into a pivotal election year.

Biden holds historically low approval ratings himself. Democrats are vulnerable on the economy, crime and immigration. But they have shown an ability to moderate when necessary.

Until Republican voters show they're capable of doing the same, Democrats will hold the edge in 2024.

GOP's stormy 2024 outlook

It's becoming increasingly difficult for the GOP to win outside of deep-red strongholds.

Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images

2024 presidential election

Donald Trump

Elections 2024

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

President Biden's not-yet-official bid for re-election will lean on hundreds of social media "influencers" who will tout Biden's record — and soon may have their own briefing room at the White House, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The move aims to boost Biden's standing among young voters who are crucial to Democrats' success in elections — and to potentially counter former President Trump's massive social media following, if he's the GOP nominee in 2024. 

Biden's digital strategy team will connect with influencers across the nation to target those who may not follow the White House or Democratic Party on social media — or who have tuned out mainstream media altogether.

Four Biden digital staffers are focused on influencers and independent content creators. The staffers officially work for the White House, not Biden's campaign — but reaching young and suburban voters is clearly a priority. 

Young voters (ages 18-29) preferred Biden over Trump by a 26-point margin in 2020, and Democrats over Republicans by 28 points in the 2022 midterms.

A measure of the importance Team Biden is placing on its digital strategy: Rob Flaherty, who leads the effort, has been named assistant to the president — the same rank as the White House communications director and press secretary.

What they're saying: "We're trying to reach young people, but also moms who use different platforms to get information and climate activists and people whose main way of getting information is digital," said Jen O'Malley Dillon, White House deputy chief of staff.

The details: Hundreds of unpaid, independent content creators have been given access to Biden's White House. They include: 

Harry Sisson, a 20-year-old NYU student who breaks down the day's news on TikTok.

Vivian Tu, a former trader who discusses financial topics in short clips on TikTok and Instagram. 

Zoom in: A dedicated White House briefing space for influencers to meet in person or by remote would be unprecedented — and a sign that the traditional Press Briefing Room no longer would be the administration's only messaging center.

It also would give some influencers more consistent access to the president.

"We actually asked the White House, 'When are we going to get press briefing passes?' " said Sisson, who has 660,000 followers on TikTok.

"They were actually were very responsive to it," he said of administration officials' reaction to the suggestion by some of the two dozen influencers who attended a State of Union watch party the White House. 

The result: The administration is moving toward giving influencers their own briefing room in the White House.

Zoom out: Besides White House invitations, the administration has given influencers opportunities for access to Biden when he goes on the road.

At the Detroit Auto Show in September 2022, officials invited Daniel Mac — whose 13.8 million followers watch him ask drivers of nice cars what they do for a living — to ask Biden that question.

"Well I'm married to Jill Biden and I make sure we're making a lot more electric vehicles in America," Biden responded, wearing aviator sunglasses and sitting in the driver's seat of a Cadillac LYRIQ. The video has been seen 38 million times. 

At the same-sex marriage bill signing celebration at the White House December of last year, LGBTQ+ influencers were invited.  

What's next: The White House wants to work with influencers who have local audiences when Biden travels to their state — just as its regional team has built relationships with local media outlets. 

Reality check: Biden's followings on social media don't compare with Trump's, especially on especially on Youtube and Facebook.

Biden's strategy is aimed more at platforms favored by younger voters, such as Instagram and TikTok.

The intrigue: The administration is courting support on TikTok even as it has called for the platform to be sold or else risk being banned in the U.S. because of its owner's ties to China's government.

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to clarify content creators' relationship to the White House, and to remove Heather Cox Richardson as one of those creators.

discusses financial topics in short clips on TikTok

a glimpse of the president as he arrives in his motorcade

an aviator-wearing Biden said in the driver's seat of a Cadillac Lyric

Biden's digital strategy: an army of influencers

The move aims to boost Biden's standing among young voters who are crucial to Democrats.

Illustration of the White House under a spotlight, surrounded by heart and speech bubble icons colored with the TikTok brand colors

Biden administration

Joe Biden

Social Media

TikTok

The traditional Easter egg hunt turned into the search for cheaper eggs this year as fewer retailers shell out deals.

Why it matters: Egg prices have been dropping recently but were still up 55.4% in February compared to a year earlier, according to the latest Consumer Price Index, a key inflation barometer.

Eggs are a big part of Easter traditions and the Jewish holiday of Passover, which continues through April 13. 

A bird flu outbreak, the worst in U.S. history, has been one factor in the higher prices. The wave of avian influenza cases began in early 2022 and has killed 58.6 million birds, according to the CDC.

A dozen eggs cost an average of $4.211 in February, compared to $2.005 at the same time last year. February's average was down from the all-time high of $4.823 per dozen the month before, federal data shows.

Driving the news: Though monthly data still shows egg prices well above 2022 levels, weekly wholesale prices have "fallen below year ago levels when avian influenza impacts were just getting underway," per a USDA report released Friday.

"Wholesale prices for cartoned shell eggs posted sharp declines through the week as Easter demand fades," the report said, noting "promotional activity featuring shell eggs for the holidays remains spare." 

"Eggs continue to clear store shelves with retailers reluctant to incentivize additional buying ahead of Easter to maintain a consistent offering," the report added.

Unlike past years when egg deals were the norm, "retailers remain cautious of the supply situation fearing renewed outbreaks of avian influenza," the USDA wrote. 

Meanwhile, Brian Moscogiuri, global trade strategist at Eggs Unlimited — an egg supplier based in California — told Axios that the market has been "crashing over the last few weeks." 

"Dollar Tree pulled eggs off their shelves, some stores have placed limits on the number of dozens people can buy, buyers took inventory early and there weren't many features for the holiday," Moscogiuri said.

Dollar Tree recently stopped selling eggs because the company can't make money on them, CNN reports, in a move that is expected to be temporary.

Zoom out: U.S. consumers will spend a record $24 billion on Easter this year, up from $20.8 billion last year, including $7.3 billion on food and $3.3 billion on candy, the National Retail Federation’s annual Easter survey found.

With egg prices so high, some families might experiment with painting and dyeing potatoes this Easter.

What's next: "Consumers should see prices ease," Moscogiuri told Axios, "but there is still a threat of further supply disruption from avian influenza as we head into the heart of the spring migratory period."

The USDA report also said prices may retreat to "more shopper-friendly levels" after Easter because "there are fewer opportunities to stimulate consumer shell egg purchasing."

Go deeper: Easter's top candy is Reese's peanut butter eggs

Egg prices drop in time for Easter but stores offer fewer deals

The traditional Easter egg hunt has turned into the search for cheaper eggs this year.

Axios

Sunday's top stories

Super Mario Bros. smashes records with massive box office debut

GOP's stormy 2024 outlook

Biden's digital strategy: an army of influencers

Egg prices drop in time for Easter but stores offer fewer deals

GOP dysfunction fuels Dems' hardball budget tactics

Easter's top candy is Reese's peanut butter eggs

A different kind of mortgage crisis

McCarthy faces GOP blowback after N.Y. Times leak

Abortion is on a fast track back to the Supreme Court

Charted: The remote-work gap

Federal judge rules to freeze use of abortion pill nationwide