Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” continued its impressive box office run during its second weekend in theaters, demonstrating remarkable staying power.
The Illumination-produced sequel brought in $69 million across 4,284 North American theaters over the weekend, according to Sunday studio estimates. This performance pushes the film’s domestic earnings to $308.1 million and establishes a worldwide gross of $629 million.
While the weekend numbers represent a 48% decrease from the movie’s opening frame, industry experts consider this a relatively small decline for a major blockbuster release. However, the gap between this sequel and its predecessor continues to widen. During the same timeframe in 2023, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” — which received significantly better critical reception — had already accumulated more than $353 million in domestic revenue. Nevertheless, with a production cost of just $110 million, the sequel stands as an undeniable commercial success.
Comscore’s senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian characterized the weekend performance as “a very respectable” showing.
“For the film to already be over $300 million is just astonishing,” Dergarabedian commented, highlighting that many tickets were presumably purchased at discounted children’s prices. “To get to these box office milestones is all the more impressive.”
The animated feature is also contributing to building box office excitement ahead of the summer blockbuster season launching in May.
Universal also claimed the weekend’s top new release with the romantic travel comedy “You, Me & Tuscany,” featuring Halle Bailey and “Bridgerton” star Regé-Jean Page. The film landed in fourth position, generating approximately $8 million from 3,151 theaters against an $18 million production budget. Female moviegoers comprised 80% of the audience.
Under Kat Coiro’s direction, the film received generally favorable reviews from critics. The Associated Press described it as “a movie as frothy and insubstantial as the foam on a nice cappuccino.” Rotten Tomatoes currently shows a 68% critics’ rating.
Moviegoers responded more enthusiastically than critics. PostTrak survey data revealed that 77% of viewers would “definitely recommend” the film to others. The movie also received an A- grade from CinemaScore audiences.
Jim Orr, Universal’s domestic distribution chief, indicated the positive audience feedback “point to a very nice run at the box office.”
Amazon MGM Studios’ “Project Hail Mary” secured second place, maintaining strong performance in its fourth weekend with continued double-digit sales. The film added approximately $24.6 million over the three-day period, elevating its domestic total to $256.7 million. International markets have pushed the worldwide figure to $510.6 million.
A24’s “The Drama” claimed third place during its sophomore weekend, earning $8.7 million. The critically acclaimed film starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya experienced only a 38% decline, bringing domestic earnings to $30.8 million and global receipts to $65 million.
Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers” completed the top five in its sixth weekend, collecting $4.1 million. The animated feature has accumulated $354.4 million in worldwide revenue.
Based on estimated Friday through Sunday ticket sales at North American theaters, the complete weekend rankings include:
1. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” $69 million.
2. “Project Hail Mary,” $24.6 million.
3. “The Drama,” $8.7 million.
4. “You, Me & Tuscany,” $8 million.
5. “Hoppers,” $4.1 million.
6. “Faces of Death,” $1.7 million.
7. “Exit 8,” $1.4 million.
8. “A Great Awakening,” $1.3 million.
9. “Reminders of Him,” $1 million.
10. “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come,” $867,000.
