It’s a-me, Mario, breaking yet another box-office record. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has crossed the US$1 billion mark globally, proving that its previous success was hardly a fluke.
The figures put it as the first film of 2026 to join the highly coveted billion-dollar club, spanning US$528.5 million domestically and US$571 million overseas. Together, the adaptations have collected US$2.3 billion in global ticket sales, ranking ninth in the list of top 10 animated franchises, preceded by Inside Out (US$2.56 billion, adjusted without inflation, over two movies), Kung Fu Panda (US$2.37 billion across four instalments), and Madagascar (US$2.26 billion over seven films). Sitting at No.1 is Universal and Illumination’s Despicable Me with a six-film gross of US$5.64 billion, which will only climb when Minions & Monsters, the third entry in the Minions spin-off, releases in July.
While it took longer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie to achieve what The Super Mario Bros. Movie did in 26 days, the feat is still no less impressive. The sequel follows Mario and gang, including Luigi (Charlie Day), Yoshi (Donald Glover), Bowser (Jack Black), and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), on an adventure into outer space to save Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) from Bowser (Jack Black) and his son, Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie).
Building on the momentum, Nintendo will next bring its live-action take on The Legend of Zelda to life. The Wes Ball-directed pic stars Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Pinocchio) and Bo Bragason (Renegade Nell) as Link and Princess Zelda, respectively, and is slated for release on 30 April 2027 — one week earlier than initially planned. A mystery “event film” has also been confirmed for April 2028.
With two Marvel tentpoles, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday, coming later in the year, there’s a chance that the billion-dollar club will welcome more members. As of now, Lionsgate and Universal’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael is the most likely candidate with a global haul of US$888 million, and only time will tell if the King of Pop can become the king of the box office, too.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
