The Super Mario Galaxy Movie just landed in theaters and immediately claimed the top spot at the box office. Deadline reports that Mario’s latest cosmic adventure raked in $34 million on its first day in the US, making it the biggest opening day of 2026 so far. This edges out Project Hail Mary, which debuted with $33.1 million. The film also set a new record for an “opening Wednesday” in April, surpassing last year’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which earned $31.7 million on its first Wednesday.
Projections for the Easter weekend are massive: an estimated $350 million worldwide over five days. That’s just shy of the $377 million global haul the original Mario movie pulled in during its opening stretch in 2023. If this momentum continues, Super Mario Galaxy Movie could snag the biggest five-day domestic opening since Moana 2 ($225.4 million) and the biggest three-day opening since Wicked: For Good ($147 million).
Why Players Care: Fan Service and Split Scores
For Mario fans, this sequel is being hailed as “one for the fans”-and the numbers back that up. On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score stands strong at 92%, showing fans are loving the cosmic journey. Critics, however, are less enthusiastic, averaging just 43%. By comparison, the first Mario movie earned a 95% audience score and a 59% critic score. Nintendo Life described Galaxy as a “faithful but overstuffed sequel”, awarding it six out of ten stars.
With such a massive opening, expect Mario’s cinematic universe to keep growing. The strong turnout signals that Nintendo and Illumination’s partnership remains a box office powerhouse. For players, this means more Mario movies-and likely more game tie-ins-are on the horizon.
The bottom line
- Super Mario Galaxy Movie is already 2026’s box office champ on opening day.
- Fans are loving it, but critics remain divided-expect more debate as the numbers roll in.
- Its big opening virtually guarantees more Mario movies ahead.