TL;DR
The plumbers earned $69M in weekend two and $629M globally — making the sequel an unambiguous hit even if it trails the original.
MSM Perspective
Deadline and Variety both called the hold 'strong' and noted the film is already the highest-grossing domestic release of 2026.
X Perspective
X box-office accounts are debating whether the 48% drop signals legs or front-loading, with the original's hold as the benchmark.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie earned $69 million in its second weekend from 4,284 North American theaters, bringing its domestic total to $308.1 million and its global cumulative gross to $629 million after just 12 days in release. [1]
The 48% drop from its opening weekend is a respectable hold for a blockbuster of this scale, though the gap with its predecessor continues to widen. The 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie had earned $353 million domestically by the same point and fell only 37% in its second frame. [2] Still, Galaxy is an unambiguous commercial success — it cost $110 million to produce and has already returned more than five times that figure worldwide.
The sequel now holds several notable positions in the record books. It is the highest-grossing domestic release of 2026, ahead of Amazon MGM's "Project Hail Mary" at $256.7 million. [1] Globally, it ranks as the second highest-grossing film of the year behind China's "Pegasus 3" at $645 million. It is the ninth highest-grossing Illumination title of all time and the third highest-grossing video game film adaptation in history at the global box office. Its second weekend was the seventh-best animated second weekend ever recorded. [2]
The voice cast — Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Charlie Day, and Anya Taylor-Joy — returns from the original, and the Illumination production formula remains intact: bright visuals, broad humor, and a runtime that does not test the patience of the six-year-olds driving ticket sales. Critics have been less enthusiastic than audiences, but the box office does not read reviews.
Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Comscore, called the $300 million milestone "astonishing" and noted that the film is powering domestic box-office momentum heading into the summer movie season. [1] Galaxy faces minimal family-audience competition until Disney-Pixar's next release, giving it a clear runway through late April.
The trajectory suggests a domestic finish in the $440–460 million range, with a global total likely to cross $1 billion before its theatrical run ends. The plumbers are earning.
-- CAMILLE BEAUMONT, Los Angeles
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