‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Soars to $629 Million Global Box Office Triumph

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” has continued its stellar performance in theaters, achieving remarkable box office success during its second weekend.

According to estimates released on Sunday, the sequel from Universal and Illumination raked in an additional $69 million from 4,284 theaters across the U.S. and Canada. This has propelled its domestic earnings to $308.1 million, while its worldwide haul has reached an impressive $629 million.

The sequel experienced a 48% drop in ticket sales compared to its opening weekend—a relatively modest decline for a blockbuster of this scale. However, the gap between this sequel and its predecessor appears to be widening. By its second weekend in 2023, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which garnered more favorable reviews, had already amassed over $353 million domestically. Despite this, the sequel is undeniably a success, especially considering its production budget was just $110 million.

Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends, commented on the film’s performance, describing it as “a very respectable” hold.

“The fact that the film has already surpassed $300 million is simply astonishing,” Dergarabedian remarked, highlighting that a significant portion of the sales likely came from discounted children’s tickets. “Reaching these box office milestones is even more impressive under these circumstances.”

The movie is also helping power up box office momentum before the summer movie season begins in May.

The weekend’s big new opener was also a Universal release: The travelogue romantic comedy “You, Me & Tuscany,” starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page of “Bridgerton” fame. It debuted in fourth place with an estimated $8 million from 3,151 screens against a reported production budget of $18 million. Women made up an overwhelming 80% of the audience.

Directed by Kat Coiro, the movie arrived in theaters with mixed to positive reviews. According to a review by The Associated Press, it’s “a movie as frothy and insubstantial as the foam on a nice cappuccino.” It currently holds a 68% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Audiences seemed to enjoy it a bit more. According to PostTrak exit polls, 77% of ticket buyers said they would “definitely recommend” it to friends. It also got an A- on CinemaScore.

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

Second place at the box office this week went to Amazon MGM Studios’ “Project Hail Mary,” which is still drawing 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. Worldwide, it has earned $510.6 million.

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

Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers” rounded out the top five in its sixth weekend with $4.1 million. The animated movie has made $354.4 million globally to date.

Another bright spot was the Japanese video game adaptation “Exit 8,” which made $1.4 million from only 490 theaters and landed in seventh place. Directed by Genki Kawamura, the Neon-distributed film is sitting at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

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

2. “Project Hail Mary,” $24.6 million.

3. “The Drama,” $8.7 million.

4. “You, Me & Tuscany,” $8 million.

5. “Hoppers,” $4.1 million.

6. “Faces of Death,” $1.7 million.

7. “Exit 8,” $1.4 million.

8. “A Great Awakening,” $1.3 million.

9. “Reminders of Him,” $1 million.

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