The animated sequel crossed $300 million domestically and $600 million globally in just two weekends
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has done what no other Hollywood release managed to accomplish in 2026 until now, and it has done so in just two weekends. The Illumination and Universal animated sequel, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, crossed two major milestones in back-to-back weeks, becoming the first film of the year to surpass both $300 million at the domestic box office and $600 million globally. Its second weekend alone brought in nearly $70 million in North America, the kind of hold that signals an audience that is not simply showing up out of curiosity but returning and bringing others along.
The film sends Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and a newly introduced Yoshi on an outer space adventure against Bowser Jr. It opened to $131.7 million in its debut weekend, the fourth-biggest Easter three-day opening in box office history, and its global launch of $372.6 million ranked as the fifth-biggest opening weekend ever for an animated film. All of this has happened despite a notably mixed critical reception, with the film sitting at just 43 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 37. Audiences, clearly, are not consulting the reviews before buying tickets.
The predecessor, The Super Mario Bros. Movie from 2023, ultimately reached $1.36 billion worldwide, a figure that gives a clear sense of just how high the ceiling could be for this sequel if it continues to hold at anything close to its current pace.
Project Hail Mary keeps defying expectations
Now in its fourth weekend of release, Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary continues to be one of the more quietly impressive stories at the box office this year. The Ryan Gosling-led space adventure added another $28 million this weekend, pushing its domestic cumulative total into the $258 million range and placing it well within reach of $300 million. The film dropped just 31 percent in its most recent frame, a figure that reflects deep audience investment and exceptional word of mouth. For an original, non-franchise film built around no pre-existing intellectual property, that kind of consistency across four weekends is genuinely uncommon and speaks to the strength of the material.
The Drama proves its staying power
A24’s The Drama, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, is following the pattern that has defined the studio’s most successful releases. The film fell just 21 percent in its third weekend, earning $9 million and bringing its early domestic total to $31 million. For a challenging A24 release, that trajectory is more than respectable and suggests a committed audience that is actively recommending the film to others. With both of its stars drawing significant cultural attention this spring, the momentum behind the film shows no sign of fading as it moves further into its run.
You, Me and Tuscany opens to a moment bigger than its numbers
Universal’s romantic comedy You, Me and Tuscany, directed by Kat Coiro, opened in fourth place with approximately $8 million, a figure that tells only part of the story. Starring Halle Bailey as a chef who secretly moves into a vacant Italian villa and falls for the cousin of its owner, played by Regé-Jean Page, the film has been widely recognized as the first theatrical romantic comedy featuring Black leads since Think Like a Man in 2012. Producer Will Packer, whose previous credits include Girls Trip and Ride Along, has spoken openly about the industry’s reluctance to support such films at the theatrical level, making this opening weekend a meaningful moment beyond box office metrics alone. The film earned an A-minus CinemaScore and a 93 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, both of which point toward a film well positioned to hold strongly in the weeks ahead.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline