Box-office US: Super Mario Galaxy, Its-a

The Illumination adaptation of the Nintendo game brightens Easter weekend.

“Super Mario Galaxy” takes the American box office by storm. Released on Wednesday to take advantage of spring break, it rakes in $190 million in five days, including $130.9 million over the weekend, in 4,250 theaters. While slightly less than the first “Mario” ($146.3 million in three days in 2023) and “Minecraft, the movie” ($157 million last year at the same time), it is the first opening weekend above $100 million in 2026. This result is comparable to “Frozen 2” in 2019 ($130.26 million) in its first three days, and surpasses DreamWorks Animation’s record, “Shrek the Third” ($121.6 million) in 2007—this is without counting the merchandising revenues for Mario, especially through Universal Parks. Huge success internationally as well, where “Super Mario Galaxy” grosses $182.4 million on over 54,000 screens in 80 countries. Unlike the United States, the earnings surpass those of the first film in 2023, and also represent the best international opening for a film based on a video game. The main markets were Mexico ($29.1 million), the United Kingdom ($19.7 million), and Germany ($15.75 million).

“Last Chance Project” remains solidly in second place in the ranking, with $30.65 million, crossing the $200 million mark in the United States ($217.18 million) and $400 million internationally ($420.7 million).

It is followed by “The Drama,” presented by A24 as a romantic comedy, which succeeds in its release with $14.38 million on over 3,000 screens. This result is comparable to “Challengers,” the previous film with Zendaya, which started at $15 million in April 2024 before totaling $50 million in the United States. Overseas, the film made a breakthrough in some significant territories, especially in the United Kingdom and France, with international earnings of $13.6 million.

Another standout release is “A Great Awakening,” a film with a religious theme that earns $2.1 million over Easter weekend, taking the 6th spot at the box office.

In total, weekend revenues doubled compared to the previous week, reaching $195.6 million. This is still slightly below the equivalent weekend in 2025 (-3.46%).

Estimates from April 3-5, 2026:

Source: Boxoffice Pro US