4/3-4/5: THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE Pushes the Limits

Apr 5, 2026

Universal’s THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE brought crowds to movie theatres in its opening weekend, just as the experts had predicted. It sold $130.9M at the box office for the three days of Easter weekend, leading all films to a total of $195.7M. Last year on this same weekend, which was two weeks before Easter, Warner Bros.’ A MINECRAFT MOVIE opened to $162M and the total for all films was $202.4M, the second highest-grossing weekend of the year behind Memorial Day weekend.

Coming close to last year’s performance should be seen a win, especially because the current weekend is the highest-grossing so far in 2026. Even more encouraging is the fact that a number of even bigger movie openings and weekends are still to come later in the year.

The next two weekends will only be so-so, with MARIO likely to continue in its first-place slot until Lionsgate’s MICHAEL comes out on Friday April 24^th. Advance ticket sales for the Michael Jackson musical bio-drama are selling well, especially for showtimes on its two days of early preview screenings on Wednesday and Thursday. Seven days later, Disney’s THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2 opens on May 1^st, 20 years after the original. Advance tickets for that movie are selling briskly as well. These two films should do their part to keep the 2026 momentum going from late April through mid-May. Here is a glimpse at the box office trends over the last four weeks.

THE LAST FOUR WEEKS – 2026 vs. 2025

The first quarter of 2026 closed out on a high note, especially when compared to last year’s poor results from the period. Over the last four weeks the box office has been up 77% while attendance increased by 72%.

#1 – THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE

Universal’s THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE opened in an uncontested first place, with $130.9M in its debut weekend. Instead of a traditional Friday opening, Universal chose to bring it out on Wednesday on the first day of Passover and two days before Good Friday. Over its five days in theatres, it has already earned $190.1M domestically and $372.5M worldwide.

MARIO GALAXY is a direct sequel to THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE, which opened at this same time three years ago. While the new release is running slightly behind the original after its first five days, it’s still a big success as the best movie opening of the year. THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE reeled in a domestic gross of $574.9M and even more impressive worldwide total of $1.361M. It was second-highest grossing domestic film in 2023, losing out only to BARBIE which took in $636.2M.

Universal and its animation studio partners at Illumination took great care in recreating the environment that led to the success of the first MARIO. Both films were written by Matthew Fogel and directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. The Nintendo legend and the Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto also returned as a hands-on producer, providing tight creative oversight of the movie adaptation that Nintendo and Universal agreed to when they agreed to work together on these projects.

With total sales of Mario-related games and merchandise reaching an estimated $30B since the Super Mario Bros. game was first released in 1985, Nintendo has been adamant about maintaining control over Mario’s story so as not to put future revenue streams at risk. The voice cast of Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day and Jack Black have all returned for the sequel. Universal also repeated the first movie’s release date strategy, opening the film on the Wednesday before Easter, just as they did for the first MARIO movie in 2023.

The setting for MARIO GALAXY shifts into outer space, leaving behind the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario and Luigi are launched into the galaxy after Bowser seizes a cosmic power source known as the Grand Star and threatens to use it to reshape the universe. Guided by Rosalina and her Lumas, Mario travels across colorful galaxies, mastering gravity-defying environments to recover scattered Power Stars. Along the way, Luigi becomes separated and must overcome his fears to continue with the mission. As Bowser builds a galaxy-sized fortress, Mario challenges him in a climactic battle that will determine the fate of the cosmos. Ultimately, teamwork, courage, and wonder restore balance to the universe.

Critics have not been impressed with either MARIO movie, giving the first one a 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and this one an even lower 41%. Of course, the moviegoers’ reactions are more important and MARIO has shined on that front, with a positive 89% rating for the new movie after the original scored a scintillating 95%. Here are a few examples of the critics’ reactions. Variety said, “Not a single one of these characters, including Mario and Luigi, occupies the center of ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’. And that’s because the movie has no center.” The Wall Street Journal felt, “There’s almost nothing in ‘Galaxy’ that even rises to the level of an attempted gag, and the movie is notably weaker than ‘The Super Mario Bros,’ which was just barely watchable.” The Associated Press was more upbeat when it concluded, “Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination founder Chris Meledandri… seem committed to keeping things light and playful even while beholden to advancing some kind of coherent, moderately compelling story where there wasn’t one previously.”

Made on the comparatively low production cost for an animated film of $110M, the MARIO GALAXY will need to bring in $275M worldwide to be profitable, and that mission has already been accomplished after earning $372.5M in global sales in its first five days. The first film was made for $100M and went on to make $1.36B, adding up to a 13 to 1 ratio of worldwide box office to production cost. This one may not end up quite as profitable as the first one, but it will certainly make plenty of money for all stakeholders, including theatre owners. We can expect multiple Mario movies to come. For a comparison, we look no further than the original animated Mario movie.

THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE vs. THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE

#2 – PROJECT HAIL MARY

Amazon MGM’s PROJECT HAIL MARY continues to perform well, earning an additional $30.7M in its third weekend, a drop of only 43%. This brings the 17-day totals for the original sci-fi hit to $217.2M domestically and $420.7M worldwide. The movie’s success has been widely reported, with praise heaped on directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord for threading the needle between staying faithful to the science-heavy narrative of the book while adding humorous moments for general audiences. Its star Ryan Gosling adds his own energy, as one of the few actors who could handle the unwavering spotlight focused on its lead character Ryland Grace. Gosling is in high demand, with studios eager to attach his name to any new project. Gosling’s films have generated a combined worldwide gross of $3.5B to-date, with the prospect of lot more to come in the years ahead.

The research and data analytics firm YouGov polls its online community to rate the popularity of various celebrities. Here are the results of recent YouGov poll of a U.S. audience to measure the popularity of male actors working today.

YOUGOV Aggregated Polls Regarding Actors

Gosling’s character of Ryland Grace is a science teacher sent on a solo mission in space to save the world. He is the only human character on screen for the vast majority of the film, which runs for 2 hours and 36 minutes. His role has been likened to Tom Hanks in CASTAWAY, while his non-human sidekick Rocky is compared with Hank’s inanimate volleyball companion Wilson. Critics have been effusive in their praise of Gosling, with the following quote from The Hollywood Reporter summing it up: “Ryan Gosling brings an appealing mix of intelligence and vulnerability to a role that asks him to carry the film almost entirely on his own.” The post-opening buzz around the film suggests that at next year’s Academy Awards the movie will be nominated for Best Picture and Gosling will receive a nod for Best Actor. If this happens, it would continue Gosling’s personal streak of receiving a Best Actor nomination every ten years, starting with his nominations in 2006 for HALF NELSON and in 2016 for LA LA LAND.

If you’re wondering what Gosling is up to next, he is set to star in the upcoming STAR WARS: STARFIGHTER which is scheduled to come out in May 2027. He is also attached to an action comedy alongside Will Ferrell called TOUGH GUYS and a 1960s OCEANS ELEVEN prequel with Margot Robbie. He recently announced that he had to drop out of a planned project with the “Daniels” (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert), who directed the multiple Academy Award-winning film EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. Apparently, if you want to have Ryan Gosling in any film over the next few years, you’ll have to get in line.

PROJECT HAIL MARY vs. THE MARTIAN after 17 Days

#3 – THE DRAMA

THE DRAMA, the aptly titled romantic drama from A24, opened this weekend with $14.4M, landing in third place on the box office charts. After adding in sales from international markets, its global opening is $28.0M. A24 is well-established as a purveyor of horror films such as HEREDITY from 2018 and TALK TO ME from 2023. Some of its popular movies have also been serious dramas, allowing the studio to appeal to audiences beyond the horror faithful.

While marketed as a romantic comedy, THE DRAMA deliberately subverts the genre by introducing a psychologically disturbing confession that destabilizes the relationship at its core. Its director Kristoffer Borgli, coming off DREAM SCENARIO, blends satire, discomfort, and surrealism to make his movie less of a crowd-pleaser and more of a conversation starter. It pairs two big stars, Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, as a couple about to be married. The original screenplay was also written by Borgli.

The story takes place over the week leading up to the wedding of a seemingly perfect couple, Emma and Charlie. Their relationship is upended when Emma reveals a deeply unsettling truth about her past. What begins as a minor confession spirals into a psychological unraveling, forcing Charlie to question everything he thought he knew about the woman he loves. As tension mounts, reality and perception blur, and their once-stable bond fractures under the weight of doubt, fear, and moral ambiguity. As their wedding day approaches, both are faced to confront whether love can survive the revelation or starting over is their only escape.

Emma’s character is intended to be confusing and difficult to understand, making audiences question her authenticity. In contrast, Charlie is a relatively grounded person dealing with an emotionally unraveling partner. Filming took place in the UK, Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Louisiana—giving it both international and American textures. The film debuted last month at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theater Complex, positioning it to be part of the conversation among critics as A24 tries to position it for awards contention.

And in fact, the critics have responded relatively well to THE DRAMA, giving it a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences are mostly in line with that assessment, offering an 81% score. The Los Angeles Times said, “The Drama is the movie equivalent of a half-glass of Champagne: a toast Borgli trusts us to decide whether its ideas are half-empty or half-full. I’ll raise my cup to full, but only because of how pleasurably it bubbles.” The Austin Chronicle offers up, “Zendaya gets a fully adult role to stretch out in and show off her range, from sweet to steely to utterly undone.” The Tribune News Service felt that it is, “A film about a wedding that’s not really about a wedding, nor is it really about the confession that sends the wedding off the rails. Rather, it is about what kinds of secrets we can reveal to those closest to us and still be accepted and loved by them.” The Wall Street Journal weighed sounded a sour note by saying, “Some movies are toxically misconceived, and ‘The Drama’ is among them. It wants to be wicked and outrageous, but it’s really just dismal and depressing.”

The budget to make the film was very tightly controlled, spending only $28M on its production. When you consider the cost of securing the A-listers Zendaya and Pattinson to be part of the project and the multi-location shooting, Borgli has worked miracles to create a well-crafted feature at a price that A24 can easily afford. The movie will need to earn $70M globally to break even, but after an only OK $14.4 domestic opening it needs a boost from positive word of mouth to get there. For a comparison picture, we chose another romantic drama starring Zendaya, 2024’s CHALLENGERS.

THE DRAMA vs. CHALLENGERS

#4 – HOPPERS

Disney and Pixar’s animated HOPPERS fell from second place to fourth by taking in $5.8M, a drop of 52%. This brings its 31-day total to $149.6M domestically and $332.2M globally. The fall off this weekend is understandable after taking into account the massive draw of THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE in its opening weekend. While the theatrical run of HOPPERS is winding down, losing 360 locations this weekend, it has been a successful release. One might even think of HOPPERS as a runner in a relay race that began with ZOOTOPIA 2, continued with HOPPERS and is now carrying on with THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE. Perhaps the next leg of the race will be run by SHEEP DETECTIVES when it opens on May 8^th.

It is critical for exhibitors to have a consistent schedule of family films in order to keep that all-important segment of the population coming to theatres. The future of the movie business depends on a lifetime habit of moviegoing and that all starts with memorable experiences as a youngster. It’s worth reflecting on how many children have had their first moviegoing experiences with ZOOTOPIA 2 which opened last November 26^th and followed by HOPPERS when it opened on March 6^th.

HOPPERS vs. THE GOOD DINOSAUR after 31 Days

#5 – REMINDERS OF HIM

Universal’s romantic drama REMINDERS OF HIM refuses to drop out of the top five. Even with significant new openers this weekend, the romantic drama took in another $2.2M in its fourth weekend, dropping 53%. This brings its 24-day totals to $45.4M domestically and $79.1M worldwide. REMINDERS OF HIM WILL finish ahead of REGRETTING YOU in domestic sales but slightly behind it in its global gross. REGRETTING YOU took in 46% of its total from foreign markets while REMINDERS is only getting 42% internationally. The film’s performance is being watched closely by Amazon MGM Studios, which is has the next Colleen Hoover book-turned-movie in VERITY, which will open on October 2^nd.

REMINDERS OF HIM vs. Hoover’s Books-to-Movie History after 24 Days