Jack Black Says He Hasn’t Made Any Money From Hit ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Song ”Peaches”

Jack Black revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he’s yet to see a single penny from his hit song, “Peaches,” written for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The multi-hyphenate actor and Tenacious D band-member co-wrote and performed the song in Illumination’s hit movie, which amassed $1.3 billion worldwide after it was released in April.

In the film, the villainous Bowser (Black), sings the piano rock ballad to his unrequited love Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) in an effort to express his undying affection. “Peaches” quickly became a viral sensation, spending five weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and peaking at number six on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart. But Black hasn’t seen any of the song’s profits.

“We’ll never know all of the numbers. Some of them they keep hidden in a vault, the mysterious numbers,” Black said of the song’s chart success. “The number that I’m looking forward to seeing is the number on the check, whenever I get it. I still haven’t gotten one in the mail, but someday I bet there will be,” he laughed.

When asked if he was serious, Black confirmed he was far down the residuals list. “Not yet. I think Nintendo’s got to take their piece. Illumination’s got to take the bite. But in the end, there’s still got to be a chunk of change left for old Jables,” he said, the outlet again noting his laughter.

“I think it takes a while, right?” he asked rhetorically. “You got to wait like a year.”

“Peaches” is a likely frontrunner for best original song at the 2024 Academy Awards. Black wrote the tune alongside the film’s directors, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, along with Eric Osmond and John Spiker.