The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Opens to $372.5 Million Globally, Tops 2026 Studio Debuts

This marks the biggest opening weekend for a Hollywood studio film in 2026. The movie released on Wednesday, aligning with spring break periods before Easter. It played in 4,252 North American theaters, including 421 IMAX and 1,345 premium large format screens, earning $15 million from IMAX alone.

Mexico led international earnings with $29.1 million from 5,136 screens, followed by the United Kingdom and Ireland with $19.7 million.

The film received mixed reviews, with a 40% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Ticket buyers rated it higher, giving five out of five stars in family audiences per PostTrak exit polls and an A- on CinemaScore overall. Audiences skewed 61% male, with families showing slightly more mothers (52%) than fathers.

Universal's president of domestic distribution, Jim Orr, noted the strong audience scores indicate a prolonged run into spring and summer.

“It’s exactly the kind of broad, crowd-pleasing release that brings people into theatres.”

The production budget was approximately $110 million, excluding marketing costs. Voice actors include Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Charlie Day, all returning from the 2023 original.

This debut trails the first Super Mario Bros.

Movie, which earned $204 million domestically in its five-day opening in 2023 and totaled over $1.3 billion worldwide, the second-highest gross of that year. The 2026 film surpasses Avatar: Fire and Ash's debut but falls short of the Chinese film Pegasus 3 for the year's global record.

The movie opens in Japan later this month. The overall box office rose 30% year-over-year, up 5% from last April despite competition from A Minecraft Movie's $162.8 million three-day debut in 2025.

“There’s no better opening act for a great summer than a huge month of April powered by a mega blockbuster like the ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie'.”

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ended Project Hail Mary's two-week run at number one, with the sci-fi film adding $30.7 million in its third weekend for a domestic total of $217.2 million and $420.7 million worldwide. A24's The Drama, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, opened in third place with $14.4 million domestically from 3,087 theaters, contributing to a $28 million global debut.

The R-rated film, produced for about $28 million, explores an engaged couple facing a revelation and received an 82% Rotten Tomatoes score but a B CinemaScore. The top five films by domestic weekend earnings were: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($130.9 million), Project Hail Mary ($30.7 million), The Drama ($14.4 million), Hoppers ($5.8 million), and Reminders of Him ($2.2 million).