‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ races to $371M global debut

‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ earned roughly $129M over its three-day weekend and $371M globally in five days, the biggest opening of 2026.deadline
Produced by Illumination and Nintendo ↘1.63%, the sequel reunites Chris Pratt, Jack Black, and Anya Taylor-Joy alongside newcomers Brie Larson and Donald Glover.wikipedia
Critics gave the film around 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences awarded it a 91% score, mirroring the first film’s critic-audience divide.forbes

Super Mario Galaxy Movie Opens to Record Box Office

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie blasted into theaters on April 1 and is already rewriting the record books. The animated sequel from Illumination and Nintendo earned $34.5 million on its opening Wednesday in the United States, marking the biggest domestic opening day of 2026, according to Deadline. The figure edged past the $33.1 million opening-day haul of Project Hail Mary, which had benefited from a Friday launch.deadline

By Saturday, the film was tracking toward roughly $129 million over its three-day weekend and $188 million to $189 million across its five-day debut, with a projected global opening of approximately $371 million. The strong launch, combined with continued earnings from Project Hail Mary — which crossed the $200 million domestic milestone this weekend — helped push the 2026 domestic box office past $2 billion.reddit

A Galaxy of Stars

The sequel reunites the voice cast from the 2023 original, with Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. Among the new additions are Brie Larson as Princess Rosalina, Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr., and Donald Glover as Yoshi. The film also features Glen Powell as Fox McCloud, Issa Rae as the Honey Queen, and Luis Guzmán as Wart.bleedingcool

Glover’s casting came about through his own initiative. According to co-star Jack Black, Glover told his agent to reach out directly to Illumination CEO and producer Chris Meledandri to express his desire to play the green dinosaur. “His enthusiasm for it is evident, and he genuinely appreciates that universe,” Black said.yahoo

Critics and Audiences Diverge

The film has drawn a sharp split between critics and general audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, the critics’ score sits around 40%, with reviewers calling the film light on narrative substance. Audiences, however, have embraced it enthusiastically, awarding it a 91% audience score. The divide echoes the reception of its predecessor, which earned a 59% critics’ score but a 95% audience rating on its way to $1.36 billion worldwide.yahoo

The plot sends Peach on a mission to rescue her sister Rosalina after Bowser Jr. kidnaps her in an effort to reunite with his imprisoned father. Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi guard the Mushroom Kingdom before eventually launching into the cosmos themselves. At 98 minutes, the film is being praised by family audiences as a brisk, Easter-egg-laden adventure — even as critics wish it aimed for something more.ianthomasmalone