The Super Mario Galaxy Movie opened Wednesday to $68.4 million globally, edging past the first Mario film's $66.4 million opening day and recording the best April Wednesday in domestic box office history [1]. The domestic take alone was $34.5 million, the highest single-day opening of 2026, surpassing Project Hail Mary [2].

Audiences gave the Nintendo and Illumination sequel an A- CinemaScore, just below the original's A [3]. Critics were less generous -- the film holds a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes against a 91% audience score, repeating the critic-audience split that defined the first film's run [4]. The gap has become a franchise feature, not a bug. Audiences show up for the characters, not the reviews.

Internationally, the film collected $33.9 million from 78 markets, with Japan, the UK, and France leading [5]. Nintendo Life reported that the global figure puts the sequel ahead of the original's pace across every comparable territory [1].

The Wednesday opening was strategic. Universal chose April 2 to avoid Easter weekend competition and capture school holiday audiences in key European markets. The gamble paid off. The film is now tracking toward a $350 million-plus global opening stretch through Sunday [2].

Sometimes the simplest franchise math works: beloved characters, bright colors, and a release date with no competition.

-- Camille Beaumont, Los Angeles