The Super Mario Galaxy Movie dominates the box office with a $372.5M global opening weekend
Illumination and Nintendo once again turn Mario into a global box-office phenomenon.
The premiere of ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ was a smash hit, and its opening weekend numbers speak for themselves. The collaboration between Illumination and Nintendo has once again broken box office records, with the film grossing $372.5 million in its global opening weekend, making it the highest-grossing film of 2026 to date.
Across 80 international territories, the film grossed $182.4 million, while domestically it reached $190 million over its opening weekend, according to data reported by Deadline. With these results, the franchise has achieved some very impressive numbers and is beginning to demonstrate that Mario has made a major leap into the world of cinema. It currently stands as the fifth-biggest global opening for an animated film in history. Domestically, it has joined an elite club alongside ‘Shrek,’ ‘Toy Story,’ and ‘Minions’ as one of the few animated franchises to have two different entries open with over $100 million in their initial three-day weekends, and it is the only animated franchise to have two titles open with over $350 million globally.
A movie that knows its place
Although public and critical opinion has been divided, the same thing has happened as with the first film: audiences accept the movie for what it is, not for what critics expect it to be—a fact that has been reflected at the box office. In our The Super Mario Galaxy Movie review we wrote: “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is not trying to win awards or redefine animated storytelling. It doesn’t aim for emotional depth or complex themes. Instead, it embraces constant movement, recognizable imagery, and shared nostalgia. In that sense, the film feels closer to a video game than a traditional animated feature.”
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As the film continues its theatrical run, all eyes are on whether it can eventually overtake its predecessor’s total haul.
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