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# $629M and Climbing —Mario's Galaxy Run Is Just Getting Started
- URL: https://www.zilck.com/629m-and-climbing-marios-galaxy-run-is-just-getting-started/
- Published: 2026-04-12T21:51:32.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-12T21:51:32.000Z
- Description: The plumber from Brooklyn just became the biggest star in the galaxy.
- Author: Zilck Team
- Tags: Movies & TV

Despite a 48% second-weekend drop —considered modest by blockbuster standards— *The Super Mario Galaxy Movie* dominated the domestic box office for a second straight week, adding [**$69 million from 4,284 theaters**](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/12/the-super-mario-galaxy-movie-box-office.html?ref=zilck.com) across the U.S. and Canada. That brings its running domestic total to **$308.1 million** and its worldwide cumulative gross to a staggering [**$629 million**](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/12/the-super-mario-galaxy-movie-box-office.html?ref=zilck.com) in just 12 days. Universal's head of domestic distribution, **Jim Orr**, said the audience reaction scores *"point to a very nice run at the box office"* — and the numbers back him up.

## Already the #1 Film of 2026

After just eight days in theaters, *The Super Mario Galaxy Movie* surpassed *Project Hail Mary* to become [**the highest-grossing film of 2026 in the United States**](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Super-Mario-Galaxy-Movie-The-%282026%29?ref=zilck.com). By comparison, Ryan Gosling's *Project Hail Mary* — which is still performing strongly in its fourth weekend — has earned $256.7 million domestically and $510.6 million worldwide. Mario lapped it in under two weeks. The film was produced on a budget of just **$110 million**, meaning it has already earned **more than four times its production cost** worldwide.

## Record Books Are Being Rewritten

The records keep piling up. *The Super Mario Galaxy Movie* now holds the title of[ **No. 3 highest-grossing video game movie of all time**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%5FSuper%5FMario%5FGalaxy%5FMovie?ref=zilck.com) globally, sitting just behind the original *Super Mario Bros. Movie* ($1.36 billion) and *Sonic the Hedgehog 3*. It scored the **fifth-biggest global opening for an animated film ever**, and made Nintendo's Mario franchise **the only animated franchise with two films each opening to over $350 million worldwide**. It also posted the **highest Monday box office gross of 2026**, pulling in $16.8 million.

## The Critic-Audience Gap Persists

The critical conversation hasn't changed much since opening weekend — but audiences couldn't care less. [Critics on Rotten Tomatoes](https://cosmicbook.news/super-mario-galaxy-rotten-tomatoes-critics-score?ref=zilck.com) remain cool on the film, while the audience score sits comfortably above 90%. One clear driver: families. With Easter weekend perfectly timed for its debut, parents took their kids in droves, and repeat viewings are reportedly strong. As the *New York Post* bluntly predicted on opening day, this film was always going to make [**$1 billion**](https://nypost.com/2026/04/02/entertainment/super-mario-galaxy-movie-review-itll-make-1-billion-and-it-sucks/?ref=zilck.com) —and with Japan's release still ahead this month, that milestone is firmly in sight.

## What's Next

Japan—Nintendo's home country—hasn't even opened yet, and analysts expect a significant box-office boost when it does. If *The Super Mario Galaxy Movie* holds to its current trajectory, a [**$1 billion worldwide total is not a question of if**](https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/gamespot-epaper-gamespot/super+mario+galaxy+movie+soars+past+600+million+becomes+no+3+highestgrossing+gaming+movie+of+all+time-newsid-n687874846?ref=zilck.com)[ **but of when**](https://m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/gamespot-epaper-gamespot/super+mario+galaxy+movie+soars+past+600+million+becomes+no+3+highestgrossing+gaming+movie+of+all+time-newsid-n687874846?ref=zilck.com). Universal and Illumination have once again proven that the Mario franchise is among Hollywood's most reliable money-printing machines, critics be damned.

The plumber from Brooklyn just became the biggest star in the galaxy.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a3/28/a3280dcb-1c7d-4319-b381-3cd1a47b463a/content/images/2026/04/MV5BMTQ2ZjI3MDItMGZhNS00MzY4LWEzMWItNTljOWE1YWNkODQxXkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_FMjpg_UX1080_.jpg)

© Universal Pictures