Super Mario Galaxy Powers Up Again as Project Hail Mary and The Drama Keep Shining at the Weekend Box Office

Let’s not sugarcoat it: this weekend at the box office had a bit of everything—big wins, face-plants, and a couple oddball surprises. With CinemaCon looming on the horizon, Hollywood gave us plenty to talk about (and some stuff everyone would probably rather forget).

'Super Mario Galaxy Movie' Keeps Crushing It

If you thought the Mario hype was going to fade after launch, think again. Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is still devouring coins with no signs of slowing down. It pulled in another $69 million from U.S. theaters this weekend, dragging its domestic total up to $308.1 million. Don’t forget the global haul—it’s at $629 million and counting, making it 2026’s second biggest movie after China’s Pegasus 3 (which is sitting pretty at $645 million). At this rate, Mario and friends might as well ask for their own vault at the bank.

Box Office Standouts and Stumbles (and Everything In Between)

• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: $69M weekend, $308.1M domestic, $629M worldwide. The sequel energy is real.
• Project Hail Mary: Holding strong. Not top dog but definitely not flopping.
• The Drama: Against all odds, Kristoffer Borgli’s weird, dark rom-com starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson is hanging in there. $8.7M in week two (who saw that coming?), bringing its total to $30.8M in the U.S. There was a theory this one would fizzle after a twisty first act and a not-so-prime Easter weekend launch, but apparently, people are telling their friends,'Hey, you really have to see this.' That kind of word of mouth is gold.
• You, Me & Tuscany: This Universal rom-com with Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page had a rough start—$8M for opening weekend, only landing in fourth place. Everyone expected more. Not all is lost, though: audiences gave it an A- on CinemaScore. Maybe this one will stick around for a bit as the feel-good 'slow burn' option.
• Faces of Death: Yikes. Daniel Goldhaber’s horror remake (with Dacre Montgomery and Barbie Ferreira) absolutely tanked. $1.7M on opening weekend across 1,678 theaters. Word on the street is horror fans just weren’t biting, and with a C CinemaScore—well, that says it all. Even with Legendary producing and Shudder co-distributing, it seems like people spent their horror money on Scream 7 and called it a month.

What’s Next: Some Must-See New Releases

Even though a couple of this weekend’s debuts underwhelmed, the mix of holdovers like Mario, Project Hail Mary, and The Drama has kept theater owners from breaking out in hives. And next week? Genuinely interesting slate:

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is getting buzz ahead of its release. A24’s Mother Mary (very high on my personal must-watch list), and Normal with Bob Odenkirk mixing it up again, all land in theaters next weekend. Early word is positive for all three, so it looks like we might see some action at the box office rather than another snooze fest.

'The feel-good film has an A- CinemaScore, so it could be a slow burn toward success.'

So, in summary: Mario remains unstoppable, sleeper picks like The Drama are having a moment, and not every reboot is a guaranteed hit (looking at you, Faces of Death). Next weekend, expect some fresh contenders—plus, at least one questionable plot twist, because that’s what keeps this game interesting.