The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which was released on April 1, 2026, has achieved a major milestone! The film produced by Universal Pictures, Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment, has become the first movie of 2026 to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office. The first film in the franchise, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released in 2023, grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie debuted at No. 1 worldwide and stayed at the top of the global and international box office charts for three consecutive weekends. It has earned $428.5 million in the U.S. and Canada, making it the highest-grossing movie of 2026 domestically so far. Overseas, it made $571.5 million, making it the highest-grossing MPA film internationally this year.
The production budget of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is $110 million, which is relatively low for an animated film, so it is expected to make a huge profit.
The two Mario movies have earned around $2.4 billion worldwide, making them one of the Hollywood’s most successful animated film franchises.
In fact, the Mario films now rank alongside Inside Out, which has earned $2.56 billion from two films, Kung Fu Panda, which has made $2.37 billion from four films and Madagascar, which has earned $2.26 billion across seven films. The highest-grossing animated franchise is still Despicable Me (also from Universal and Illumination), which has earned $5.64 billion worldwide from six films.
Domestically, the Mario movies are currently the fifth biggest animated franchise, followed by Despicable Me, Shrek, Toy Story and Inside Out.
Currently, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the highest-grossing film of the year. Other top-earning movies of the year include Michael, Project Hail Mary and The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic returned to helm The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. The sequel sees Chris Pratt return as the voice of Mario, alongside returning cast members Anya Taylor-Joy, Keegan-Michael Key, Charlie Day and Jack Black. The film also features the voices of Donald Glover, Benny Safdie and Glen Powell.
