Despite poor reviews, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a $480 million box-office megahit
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The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is based on a Nintendo video game and stars returning voice actors Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy and Jack Black.
PHOTO: EPA
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Brooks Barnes
LOS ANGELES – Movie critics were no match for Mario over the weekend.
Despite a torrent of negative reviews (“huge bummer”, “rock-stupid”, “torturous to sit through”), Illumination Entertainment’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie collected about US$130 million (S$167 million) in North America from April 3 to 5, for a total of roughly US$190 million since opening in cinemas on April 1, according to Comscore, which tracks moviegoing data.
The animated sequel, which cost an estimated US$110 million to make, earned an additional US$182 million overseas for a global total of about US$373 million.
Its franchise predecessor, The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023), took in US$378 million worldwide over the same period that year and ultimately sold US$1.4 billion in tickets.
Producers and cast members at the world premiere of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in Kyoto, Japan, on March 28.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The box office as a whole has been on the upswing lately. Ticket sales totalled US$1.8 billion in North America from January to March, a 23 per cent increase over the same period in 2025, according to Mr David Gross, a box-office analyst.
Recent hits have included Project Hail Mary, which has collected about US$217 million in North America since its release on March 20. Scream 7 sold US$120 million in tickets earlier in 2026, a franchise high.
Even so, ticket sales for the first quarter were roughly 33 per cent below totals for the same period in pre-pandemic years, Mr Gross said.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, based on a Nintendo video game and starring returning voice actors Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy and Jack Black, may have received weak reviews from critics, but fans were much more forgiving. Audiences gave it an A-minus grade in CinemaScore exit polls, Mr Gross noted.
“Kids love the movie,” he said. NYTIMES
