Animated Sequel Draws Kids Worldwide, Eyes $371 Million Opening

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie turned the Easter box office into a runaway power-up, collecting $370.7 million worldwide across 80 markets in its first five days of release, the biggest global launch for any MPA-member studio since James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash last December.

Illumination, Nintendo and Universal's animated sequel delivered a record $370.7 million opening, the biggest worldwide debut since Avatar: Fire and Ash. The $370 million global total nearly matches the $377 million global start of the 2023 original, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," with a Japan release still to come on April 24.

The film earned $48.3 million from 4,252 North American theaters on Friday and was projected to make $129.4 million domestically by Sunday. Over the first five days of release, "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" was expected to pull in between $190 million and $200 million domestically, a few million short of the 2023 original, which achieved $204 million domestically over its five-day debut.

The film's opening-day momentum was striking. The movie made $34.5 million at U.S. theaters on its opening Wednesday, the best opening day of 2026 and the best opening Wednesday in April ever. Globally on its first day, the sequel posted $68.4 million, edging ahead of the original's $66.4 million debut.

"Kids love the movie," a box office analyst said, a sentiment the numbers bore out across continents. The five-day domestic haul easily cleared "Project Hail Mary's" short-lived record as the biggest debut of 2026, which had stood at $80.5 million in North America and $140 million worldwide.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reportedly carried a production budget of $110 million, compared to $100 million for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Critics generally did not warm to either film, but audience scores told a different story, as the sequel earned an A CinemaScore, matching its predecessor.

With this start, "Super Mario Galaxy" is positioned to become the first $1 billion-plus hit of 2026. Japan, one of the franchise's most fervent markets, does not open until April 24, meaning the global count has yet to fully reflect the game's home territory.