The Success of ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ at the 2026 Box Office
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has become the first film in 2026 to earn over $1 billion globally. Released on April 1, 2026, by Illumination, Nintendo, and Universal, the film achieved this milestone in its tenth week. According to Box Office Mojo, it is the highest-grossing movie of the year, outpacing the Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, which earned $888 million, and Project Hail Mary, with $679 million.
Beyond its box office success, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is the second-highest-grossing video game adaptation ever, both worldwide and domestically, second only to The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The 2023 release of that film was notable for generating $1.3 billion globally, setting a record for video game adaptations and crossing the billion-dollar threshold.
Collectively, both films have propelled the Super Mario franchise into a significant financial powerhouse. With a combined revenue of $2 billion, the franchise now ranks ninth among the biggest animated franchises globally. This success surpasses the total earnings of the seven-film Madagascar series, even though it took only two films.
This accomplishment marks Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri’s third franchise in the top ten highest-grossing animated franchises since the company’s inception in 2007.
Biggest Animated Franchises of All Time
Here is a list of the top ten highest-grossing animated franchises based on total box office earnings:
- Despicable Me, $5.64B, 6 films
- Shrek, $3.98B, 6 films
- Toy Story, $3.28B, 5 films
- Ice Age, $3.22B, 5 films
- Zootopia, $2.89B, 2 films
- Frozen, $2.73B, 2 films
- Inside Out, $2.56B, 2 films
- Kung Fu Panda, $2.37B, 4 films
- Super Mario films, $2.30B, 2 films
- Madagascar, $2.26B, 7 films
Universal Pictures is experiencing a remarkable year in 2026. Upcoming releases include Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi drama Disclosure Day and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, both anticipated to be major hits, with the latter expected to exceed $1 billion in earnings.
The studio plans to continue its collaboration with Illumination through the release of Minions & Monsters on July 1, 2026. Given the success, another Super Mario Bros movie is anticipated around 2028.
Top 10 Highest-Grossing Films of 2026
The list of top-grossing films for 2026 currently features The Super Mario Galaxy Movie as the leader, with a total of $1,000,028,930. Here are the top ten:
- The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — $1,000,028,930
- Michael — $888,066,424
- Project Hail Mary — $679,728,026
- The Devil Wears Prada 2 — $663,570,934
- Pegasus 3 — $656,459,523
- Hoppers — $372,010,783
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu — $293,622,349
- Wuthering Heights — $241,601,072
- Obsession — $224,795,930
- Blades of the Guardians — $215,363,913
‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Cast
The cast of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie includes:
- Chris Pratt — Mario
- Anya Taylor-Joy — Princess Peach
- Charlie Day — Luigi
- Jack Black — Bowser
- Keegan-Michael Key — Toad
- Brie Larson — Rosalina
- Donald Glover — Yoshi
- Benny Safdie — Bowser Jr.
- Glen Powell — Fox McCloud
- Issa Rae — Honey Queen
- Luis Guzmán — Wart
- Kevin Michael Richardson — Kamek