Universal and Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie just delivered the biggest opening of 2026 to date, blasting off at the global box office with a $372.5 million debut. Starring Chris Pratt and Jack Black, the sequel’s success reaffirms video game adaptations’ dominance on the big screen.
The animated sequel launched to $190.1 million in North America over five days, including a $130.9 million opening weekend, alongside $182.4 million from 80 international markets. Family audiences powered the turnout despite mixed critical reception, with strong word-of-mouth echoing the franchise’s broad appeal.
Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, the film follows Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad as they journey into outer space, teaming up with Rosalina to confront Bowser and his son, Bowser Jr., in a cosmic adventure inspired by Nintendo’s “Galaxy” games.
Returning voice stars include Pratt, Black, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, and Keegan-Michael Key, joined by newcomers Donald Glover as Yoshi, Brie Larson as Princess Rosalina and Benny Safdie as Bowser, Jr.
While the opening ranks among the strongest in recent years, it trails the 2023 “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”, which debuted to $204 million domestically and went on to gross roughly $1.3 billion worldwide. Even so, the sequel’s launch still stands as the year’s top debut and one of the largest since “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
Industry projections suggest the film could again approach the billion-dollar mark, continuing the Mario franchise’s commercial streak as one of Hollywood’s most reliable animated brands.