If “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” proved anything, it’s that audiences wanted exactly what Hollywood was selling: nostalgia, safe IP, and cheerful spectacle.
That film, and “A Minecraft Movie,” became the textbook example of how to capture the moviegoing public today, so it’s hardly a shock that Universal wasted no time greenlighting a sequel, dated for this coming Friday, April 3, 2026.
No surprise, either, that the reviews, much like the first one, are terrible. Even on Rotten Tomatoes, which nowadays seems to have almost every wide release garnering a “fresh” rating, ‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ is struggling, currently sitting at 44% rotten. Meanwhile, it’s at 35 on Metacritic.
There is, however, some very good news for this sequel, as many are projecting an immense 5-day opening weekend — some of the projections have “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” hitting $180–$190M domestic by Monday — which is certifiably insane.
Released in April 2023, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” became a box office phenomenon, easily surpassing all previous video game adaptations with a gross of $1.36 billion. It now ranks as the sixth highest-grossing animated movie of all time. This sequel could very well surpass that total.
The returning creative team is in place—directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, with voice stars Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black all reprising their roles. Added in for good measure are Glen Powell and Donald Glover.
Universal and Illumination have tapped into a sweet spot. Nintendo’s characters come preloaded with cross-generational recognition. They’re silly, they’re safe, they’re soaked in ’80s and ’90s nostalgia—and that’s exactly what keeps audiences showing up. Negative reviews have been largely irrelevant; Mario has powered through them.
If Marvel dominated multiplexes for the past decade, Nintendo is now positioning itself as the heir apparent—an empire of familiar franchises set to rule the box office for years. Consider this your warning: the onslaught is just beginning.
It’s been seven years since Alma Har’el’s feature debut, “Honey Boy,” which was written by and starred Shia LaBeouf — she is now set to direct her next film, with a very talented cast.