The Mushroom Kingdom is cashing in again — and this time, Mario is reaching for the stars. Out of the gate Nintendo, and Universal’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is already smashing records with a stunning $34 million Wednesday opening, marking the biggest opening day so far in 2026. The space-faring sequel didn’t just leap over Amazon MGM’s Project Hail Mary ($33.1 million), but also soared past 2023’s The Super Mario Bros Movie, which made $31.7 million on its first Wednesday — without any preview boost.
That means even before the weekend starts, the Mario sequel has already knocked out its own predecessor and set a new April milestone. Not bad for a plumber-turned-intergalactic hero.
According to Universal, the studio is forecasting a $128.2 million three-day and $186 million five-day haul — second only to Illumination’s record-breaking Super Mario Bros debut in 2023, which posted a jaw-dropping $146.3M (3-day) and $204.6M (5-day). Box-office forecasters may be cautious this time, but even those “lower” numbers are stellar by industry standards.
The film currently sits at 91% audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 95% for the 2023 film — still an unmistakably strong showing. Critics, on the other hand, remain unmoved: the original scored just 59% with critics, and the sequel is sitting at 44%. Still, it’s hard to argue with a $110 million budget that’s already on track to pay for itself within days.
Read more: Nintendo Wants Its Coins Back: Mario Maker Sues The U.S. Government
For those tracking records, this could become the biggest five-day domestic opening since Moana 2 ($225.4M) and the largest three-day since Wicked: For Good ($147M). And without question, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is already the highest U.S./Canada opener of the year.
If these numbers hold, Mario and crew will join an elite animated club — alongside Shrek, Toy Story, and Minions — as one of the few franchises with two films opening above $100 million domestically over three days.
