The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has officially joined the billion-dollar club, becoming the first movie of 2026 to cross $1 billion at the global box office.
The animated sequel crossed the mark during its 10th weekend in theaters, having opened in U.S. cinemas on April 1, 2026. It stood at roughly $428.5 million domestically and $571.5 million internationally as it passed the threshold, making it the highest-grossing film of the year at that point.
That also makes it the highest-grossing movie of 2026 so far.
The achievement is even more impressive considering the movie reportedly cost around $110 million to produce, which is relatively modest for a major animated release. While marketing and distribution costs also have to be taken into account, a worldwide total of more than $1 billion puts the sequel in a very strong financial position.
Still, it looks unlikely to catch its predecessor. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released in 2023, finished its theatrical run with nearly $1.4 billion worldwide.
Even so, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is now the second highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time, sitting behind only the first Mario movie. Together, the two films have generated more than $2 billion at the global box office, helping turn Mario into one of the biggest animated movie franchises in the world.
The sequel brought back much of the team behind the first movie. Chris Pratt returned as Mario alongside Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Keegan-Michael Key and Jack Black. Donald Glover, Glen Powell and Benny Safdie were among the new additions to the voice cast, while Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic returned as directors.
For Illumination, the success is another major win for a studio that already has franchises including Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, as well as hits such as The Lorax and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
And with both Mario movies delivering enormous box-office numbers, it would be surprising if Universal, Nintendo and Illumination were finished with the franchise.
At the time it crossed the $1 billion mark, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was leading the 2026 worldwide box office, ahead of Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael, Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary and Disney’s The Devil Wears Prada 2.
At the time it crossed $1 billion, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was the highest-grossing film of 2026. Universal’s 2026 slate has also included Steven Spielberg’s conspiracy thriller Disclosure Day, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and the Illumination-produced Minions & Monsters.