‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Rockets to $629 Million Worldwide at the Box Office

“Super Mario Galaxy Movie” was a phenomenal success at the box office in its second weekend in theaters.

Universal and Illumination’s sequel earned $69 million from 4,284 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates on Sunday. This brings its domestic total to $308.1 million and its global total to $629 million.

That’s a 48% drop from the film’s first weekend in theaters; That’s a pretty modest drop for a blockbuster. But the gap between this film and the first continues to grow. “Super Mario Brothers Movie”, which was evaluated much better than its sequel, grossed over $353 million domestically in its second weekend in 2023. Still, the sequel was a hit by all accounts, costing just $110 million to make.

Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of market trends, said it was a “very respectable” move.

“It’s really surprising that the movie is already over $300 million,” Dergarabedian said, noting that most of the tickets were probably sold at lower prices for children. “Hitting these box office milestones is even more impressive.”

The film also helps build box office momentum before the summer movie season begins in May. The weekend’s big new opening movie was also released at Universal: “You, Me & Tuscany,” a romantic travel comedy starring Halle Bailey and “Bridgerton” director Regé-Jean Page. It ranked fourth with an estimated $8 million from 3,151 screens against a reported production budget of $18 million. 80 percent of the audience was women. Directed by Kat Coiro, the film arrived in theaters to mixed to positive reviews. According to a review by the Associated Press, it is “a film as frothy and insubstantial as the froth on a nice cappuccino.” It currently has a 68% review score on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience seemed to enjoy it a little more. According to PostTrak exit polls, 77% of ticket buyers said they would “definitely recommend” the game to friends. It also received an A- from CinemaScore.

The film also helps build box office momentum before the summer movie season begins in May. The weekend’s big new opening movie was also released at Universal: “You, Me & Tuscany,” a romantic travel comedy starring Halle Bailey and “Bridgerton” director Regé-Jean Page. It ranked fourth with an estimated $8 million from 3,151 screens against a reported production budget of $18 million. 80 percent of the audience was women. Directed by Kat Coiro, the film arrived in theaters to mixed to positive reviews. According to a review by the Associated Press, it is “a film as frothy and insubstantial as the froth on a nice cappuccino.” It currently has a 68% review score on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience seemed to enjoy it a little more. According to PostTrak exit polls, 77% of ticket buyers said they would “definitely recommend” the game to friends. It also received an A- from CinemaScore.

Jim Orr, Universal’s head of domestic distribution, said audience reaction scores “suggest a very good run at the box office.”

Coming in second place at the box office this week was Amazon MGM Studios’ “Project Hail Mary,” which was still generating double-digit ticket sales in its fourth weekend. It added an estimated $24.6 million from Friday to Sunday, bringing its domestic total to $256.7 million. It earned $510.6 million worldwide.

“The Drama” ranked third with $8.7 million in its second weekend. The intriguing A24 film, about an engaged couple played by Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, dropped only 38%, bringing its domestic total to $30.8 million and its worldwide total to $65 million.

Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers” was in the top five with $4.1 million in its sixth weekend. To date, the animated film has grossed $354.4 million worldwide.

Another bright spot was the Japanese video game adaptation “Exit 8,” which earned $1.4 million from just 490 theaters and placed seventh. The Neon-distributed film, directed by Genki Kawamura, is at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Top 10 movies according to domestic box office

This list, along with final domestic numbers released Monday, includes estimated ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore:

1. “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” $69 million.

2. “Hail Mary Project” $24.6 million.

3. “Drama” $8.7 million.

4. “You, Me and Tuscany,” $8 million.

5. “Hoppers,” $4.1 million.

6. “Faces of Death,” $1.7 million.

7. “Exit 8,” $1.4 million.

8. “The Great Awakening,” $1.3 million.

9. “Reminders of Him” $1 million.

10. “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come,” $867,000.