“Super Mario Galaxy Movie” added $24.6 million to Thursday’s box office and is on track for a Bowser-sized opening weekend.
The animated sequel grossed $59.1 million domestically in its first two days in theaters. Illumination and Universal are working closely with game developer Nintendo to support “Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” The film cost $110 million to make and is expected to make a huge profit. Its predecessor, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released in 2023, became one of the biggest hits of the post-pandemic era, earning more than $1.3 billion.
“Super Mario Galaxy Movie” has received acclaim overseas as well. The film grossed $33.9 million from 78 markets on Wednesday, doing particularly well in Mexico ($6.7 million), the United Kingdom and Ireland ($4.3 million), Germany ($3.8 million), Spain ($3 million) and France ($2.9 million).
A24’s “The Drama,” also opening this weekend but aimed at a much more mature audience, earned $1.7 million in previews. The dark comedy stars Robert Pattinson and Zendaya as a couple whose pending wedding goes awry.
Super Mario Galaxy Movie stars Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jack Black, who starred in the first film, returning to the cast, while Donald Glover, Glen Powell, and Benny Safdie round out the voice cast. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic have returned to direct the sequel.
According to Universal’s official projections, “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” will gross $128.2 million over the weekend and $186 million in its first five days of release. But exhibitors and independent tracking services believe profits could be between $190 million and $200 million by Sunday. The film is expected to gross at least $175 million overseas, and the worldwide box office will be approximately $360 million to $375 million.
