Super Mario Galaxy dominates 2026 box office with record-breaking earnings
Super Mario returns to the big screen again (collage: RBC-Ukraine)
The new animated hit about Mario’s adventures continues to dominate the global box office. “Super Mario: Galaxy in the Movie” has become the first film of 2026 to surpass the $1 billion mark in global box office revenue, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Box office triumph
After another weekend in cinemas, the film’s earnings exceeded $1 billion. The largest share of revenue came from both the U.S. market and international territories.
Thanks to this result, “Super Mario: Galaxy in the Movie” has become the highest-grossing release of the year and the first 2026 project to reach this psychologically significant milestone. For Nintendo, Illumination, and Universal, it marks another major success.
Continuation of the story after three years
The new film was released three years after “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which premiered in 2023 and also became a global hit.
The story centers on Mario, Luigi, and their friends as they embark on a new adventure beyond the familiar Mushroom Kingdom. The characters explore cosmic worlds, face new dangers, and try to save the galaxy from yet another threat.
As for the film’s premiere, it took place on April 1, 2026, and within just a few months after release, the movie became one of the year’s biggest box office phenomena.
Other animated franchises that earned no less
Thanks to the success of the two films in the series, the Mario franchise has already entered the top ten highest-grossing animated projects in cinema history.
However, it still trails behind giants such as:
- “Inside Out”
- “Kung Fu Panda”
- “Madagascar”
At the same time, the undisputed leader of the segment remains the “Despicable Me” franchise, which over the years has earned more than $5 billion worldwide and continues to hold first place among animated series.
