The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has crossed a major box office milestone, becoming the first film of 2026 to pass US$1 billion worldwide — and it did it in just ten weekends. The result puts the animated sequel firmly at the centre of this year’s cinema conversation, as video game adaptations continue to prove they can deliver consistent global earnings.
Produced by Universal Pictures in partnership with Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment, the film opened at No. 1 worldwide and held that position for three consecutive weekends. It has since earned US$428.5 million in North America and US$571.5 million internationally, making it the highest-grossing release of 2026 so far.
At a reported production budget of around US$110 million, the film’s performance puts it in strong profitability territory by modern blockbuster standards. It also builds on the success of 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which finished its theatrical run at roughly US$1.4 billion globally.
The momentum extends beyond a single title. Across two films, the Mario franchise has now generated about US$2.3 billion worldwide, placing it ninth among animated franchises. That puts it behind long-running series such as Despicable Me, Shrek and Toy Story, but ahead of many multi-film animation brands.
The voice cast returns familiar names including Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day and Jack Black, with additions such as Donald Glover, Glen Powell and Benny Safdie. The story continues the ensemble’s space-set mission, bringing back Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Bowser for another large-scale adventure.
So far, the film has also stayed ahead of other 2026 releases at the box office, including Lionsgate’s Michael. For Universal Pictures, it marks another strong result from its animation arm, with the Mario films now ranking among its most commercially successful titles.
