‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ soars to the top spot at the box office
-
Click here to listen to this article - Share via
See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred
- ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ earns $190.8 million domestically and $372.6 million globally in its five-day opening, claiming the top spot.
- Animated films continue to dominate the box office, with family-friendly movies such as this sequel and ‘Hoppers’ driving strong theatrical attendance this year.
- Theatrical revenue in the first quarter is up more than 20% compared with the same period last year, signaling a recovery for the movie industry.
The box office hit a power-up this weekend as “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” continued a healthy streak for family films in theaters and provided a crucial boost for theatrical revenue.
The animated sequel from Universal Pictures, Nintendo and Illumination raced to $190.8 million in the U.S. and Canada in its five-day holiday weekend debut, placing it solidly in first place, according to studio estimates and Comscore data. That total was in line with expectations of a $186-million domestic opening.
Globally, the film earned $372.6 million, the largest opening so far in 2026.
The first film based on the video game franchise, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” made $146.4 million in its 2023 debut. The franchise has become key for Universal, which built a Super Nintendo World-themed land in its theme parks in California and Florida.
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which had a production budget of $110 million, continues the story of Nintendo characters Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach as they journey to rescue Princess Rosalina.
Amazon MGM Studios’ “Project Hail Mary” came in second at the box office with a domestic gross of $30.7 million — pushing its total to $217 million. A24’s “The Drama” ($14.4 million), Walt Disney Co.‘s “Hoppers” ($5.8 million) and Universal’s “Reminders of Him ($2.2 million) rounded out the top five.
The success of “Mario” this weekend is another example of the power of family films at the box office. Although the box office has seen an uneven performance in the last few years, PG-rated films have consistently performed and outgrossed every other rating in 2024 and 2025, according to Comscore.
Animated movies such as Sony Pictures Animation’s “Goat” and “Hoppers” have performed well in theaters this year, along with the strong holdover performance of Disney’s 2025 hit “Zootopia 2,” which has now made more than $1.87 billion worldwide.
That’s all contributed to a stronger first quarter in the theatrical business, as this year’s revenue was up 26.3% compared with the same period in 2025. March was especially strong, with the massive haul from “Project Hail Mary.”
