Movies

Super Mario Galaxy Movie Rockets to 2026's Biggest Box Office Opening

Super Mario Galaxy Movie Rockets to 2026's Biggest Box Office Opening
Image credit: Legion-Media

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie blasts off with 2026’s biggest opening weekend, crowning the year’s new box-office champ.

So, the first weekend of April just delivered what might be the loudest 'Yahoo!' box office moment we've seen in a while – and, no surprise, Mario is once again behind it all. If you thought last year's Super Mario Bros. Movie was the plumber's big box office moment, think again: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has blasted off even harder, snagging the biggest opening weekend of 2026 so far.

Mario Catches Big Air

In just a few days in theaters, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie pulled in a massive $130.9 million domestically. Globally, Mario and friends scored a jaw-dropping $372.5 million. Yeah, people still really like Mario, whether the critics are on board or not.

Just to put it in perspective: that opening is not only the best of the year, it’s on pace to end up as one of the biggest in a while, especially for a sequel. The previous movie made over $1.3 billion worldwide, defying tepid reviews and proving that nostalgia (and maybe a star-studded voice cast) is good for business.

'Already, Galaxy is the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2026. In a weekend.'

The Rest of the Pack: Not Even Close

  • 2. Project Hail Mary: Ryan Gosling swapped out the Barbie Dreamhouse for outer space, raking in $30.7 million domestically, which is a hefty sum for its third week in theaters. Based on the Andy Weir novel, this sci-fi flick has built up serious momentum, now sitting at $420.8 million worldwide. That actually makes it one of the year's top three earners so far — and this is its first week not topping the charts.
  • 3. The Drama: Here’s where things get, well, dramatic. The new Zendaya and Robert Pattinson vehicle brought in $14.4 million. But the pre-release buzz wasn’t really about the box office – it was all chatter over one very controversial story twist that had the internet briefly melting down.
  • 4. Hoppers: If you blinked, you might have missed this Pixar/Disney original when it first dropped over a month ago. But it just refuses to leave the Top 5. This frog-themed animated adventure slipped another $5.8 million into the coffers, with a global take now above $332 million. That makes it the second-highest earner of the year so far, just behind Pegasus 3 (which, yes, is apparently a real movie).
  • 5. Reminders of Him: Smaller release, but still earning respectably: $2.2 million domestic, $79 million worldwide after six weeks.

The rest of the Top 10 is basically rounding-error city, with the last movie, Undertone, dropping in at just over $1 million.

Full Top 10: Weekend of April 3-5

If you want the hard numbers, here they are:

Movie Domestic (wknd) World Total Weeks Out
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie $130,940,000 $372,487,000 1
Project Hail Mary $30,653,868 $420,781,000 3
The Drama $14,380,197 $14,380,198 1
Hoppers $5,800,000 $332,224,515 5
Reminders of Him $2,200,000 $79,083,000 6
A Great Awakening $2,113,565 $2,113,000 1
They Will Kill You $1,930,000 $15,157,000 2
Dhurandhar: The Revenge $1,820,000 $93,064,000 3
Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come $1,800,000 $31,373,331 3
Undertone $1,073,071 $19,535,392 4

Next Up: Shakespeare and Rom-Coms

Blink and you'll miss the next batch of releases: April 10-12 brings a bunch of new stuff, though a lot of them are only hitting select theaters. If you're interested in quirky adaptations, Riz Ahmed stars in a modern-day spin on 'Hamlet.' (Because, apparently, it's not a new year until someone updates Shakespeare.)

Also, if you’re in the mood for something lighter, keep an eye out for You, Me, & Tuscany. That one's a romantic comedy starring Regé-Jean Page (yes, from Bridgerton) and Halle Bailey (of The Little Mermaid fame) as a couple who, of course, find themselves stranded in a picturesque Italian villa. Let the yearning begin.

And just in case you missed the giant green pipe in the sky: Mario is still the king of the box office, and, honestly, nobody else is even close this month.