The Super Mario Galaxy Movie crosses $1 billion at the global box office

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has hit $1 billion at the global box office, making it the first film of 2026 to reach that milestone. It took 10 weekends to get there — a slower climb than The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which crossed the mark in just 26 days, but a billion is a billion.

The sequel has pulled in $428.5 million domestically and $571.5 million internationally. Its predecessor finished its theatrical run at $574.9 million domestic and $785.8 million international, totaling around $1.36 billion. Combined, the two Mario films have now grossed more than $2.30 billion, placing the franchise ninth on the all-time list of top animated franchises worldwide — behind Despicable Me at $5.64 billion, Shrek at $3.98 billion, and Toy Story at $3.28 billion. Many of those franchises have six or more films to their name, so Mario has room to climb. The film opened April 1, 2026, pulling in $34 million on its first Wednesday alone despite mixed reviews. It sent Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Star Fox's Fox McCloud on an intergalactic adventure, though IGN scored it a 6/10, noting it "ditches an engaging story in favor of a pipe-bursting amount of Easter eggs."

Nintendo is not slowing down. A live-action The Legend of Zelda movie is set for April 2027, and another animated film is already dated for April 2028. If the Mario franchise keeps getting sequels, it has a genuine shot at cracking the top five on that animated franchise list.