The box office had something for everyone this weekend!
Big animated spectacle.
Adult counter-programming.
And some holdover hits that refuse to die.
Let’s start at the top.
MARIO OPENS BIG—AGAIN!
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie opened this weekend to stellar numbers, earning $191 million over the 5-Day Easter Holiday weekend, and $131 million over the 3-day weekend domestically.
Worldwide, the film opened to $373 million globally.
This is a massive opening, one that’s nearly in line with what the previous Mario movie opened to in 2023 (that debuted to $204 million), while also acting as another huge win for Nintendo Games and Illumination Animation.
Considering the animated sequel only cost $110M, this is already a financial slam dunk, plus the biggest opening yet for a movie in 2026.
BUT WHY DID THIS SEQUEL DEBUT (SLIGHTLY) LOWER?
To be clear, this debut for Mario Galaxy is still a huge success, mostly due to how popular the original video-games were
But compared to the first film, there are a few small differences.
The sequel earned weaker reviews and audience scores (59% on RT / an A-grade from CinemaScore, vs Galaxy’s 41% on RT / A- from CinemaScore).
The reason for that is this sequel is more “just for the fans”, with an emphasis on Easter Eggs > story. And you can feel that in the movie.
A MOVIE JUST FOR FANS—AND KIDS
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie works less as a narrative, and more as a series of incidents and set-pieces, like a feature-length Nintendo commercial.
As someone who saw Mario Galaxy last week, while the film is more visually impressive than the last film, the story and pacing are so rushed it nearly kills the whole thing.
There’s too many characters, and not enough time to breathe or emotionally connect to anything going on.
But, as a Nintendo fan, it is easy to have some fleeting fun spotting all the Easter Eggs.
Fans certainly aren’t really complaining too much about the lack of a coherent story.
To quote Marty McFly from Back To The Future, “your kids are going to love it”
However, if you’re looking for a kids movie with basic emotional depth, that’s not really the assignment here.
SO, WHAT’S NEXT FOR MARIO?
Despite its overwhelmingly “bland” and “safe” quality, The Super Mario Galaxy movie is still massively successful with fans and at the box office.
I’m expecting Galaxy to end with ~$1.1-1.2 billion worldwide, slightly below the last film’s $1.33 Billion total.
We should expect more Nintendo/Illumination Animation Mario-movies for years to come.
Just look at the other flag-ship franchise from Illumination Animation, Despicable Me.
Despite the fact that we’re already 7 films deep in that franchise (including 4 Despicable Me movies and 3 Minion-spinoffs), and arguable declining quality, they still average $900 million – $1 Billion for each film, with no signs of stopping.
Mario is likely heading down the same path.
Don’t be surprised if we eventually get more sequels and spinoffs (a Donkey-Kong spinoff seems inevitable), and more event-level crossovers (a Smash Brothers team-up movie is clearly the endgame).
Nintendo is prioritizing brand expansion over storytelling risk—and financially, it works for them.
THE REST OF THE MARKET PLACE: PROJECT HAIL MARY HOLDS STRONG
Shifting over to the rest of the films out right now, again, there’s something for everyone.
Despite losing its IMAX and premium screens to Mario, Project Hail Mary had another great hold, dropping -41% in its 3rd weekend, adding another $32M for a $218M U.S. total. Worldwide, so far it’s at $422 million.
Project Hail Mary is having even better staying power and word of mouth than I expected.
With these strong legs, the film has a great shot at ending with $300-350 million domestically and $600-650 million globally, up there with Dune Part Two ($714 million worldwide), 2013’s Gravity ($717 million worldwide), and 2015’s The Martian ($630 million worldwide).
This result is spectacular for Amazon MGM, as well as the filmmaking talent (Directors Phil Lord & Chris Miller, DP Greig Fraser) and actors (Ryan Gosling) involved.
I’m expecting Oscars for this film next year!
THE DRAMA EARNS A PROMISING DEBUT
In terms of new movies that opened, The Drama opened to $14.2 million, earning mixed-positive reviews (79% on RT) and a B from CinemaScore.
Considering the dark, uncomfortable plot of the film (it’s not exactly a crowd-pleaser), this B grade from audiences might as well be an A grade.
THE HOOK (NO SPOILERS)
The set-up of The Drama is deceptively simple.
A soon-to-be-married couple (played by Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) plays a game of “what’s the worst thing you’ve ever thought/done?”. And then, Zendaya’s character drops a bomb of secret to her partner.
WHY IT WORKS
The brilliance of The Drama is rooted in the fact that the confession Zendaya’s character shares is impossible to laugh off completely as a bad joke.
Which secret does Zendaya’s character have that would spoil their wedding? I wouldn’t dare spoil that for you, as the surprise is half the fun.
After seeing the film on Friday night, it plays great in a packed audience, and it’s guaranteed to stir up some conversation once the movie is over.
The Drama works as a blend of dark-cringe-comedy, emotional discomfort, and genuine empathy. Plus its two lead performers (Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) deliver some of their most interesting acting to date.
THE DRAMA IS A NICHE PLAY—WITH DECENT UPSIDE
With a $28 million budget, The Drama only has to earn around $65-70 million worldwide to turn a profit. It’s so far earned $29 million worldwide.
So far, The Drama is pacing towards becoming a modest but meaningful success for A24.
In terms of competition, next weekend brings You, Me and Tuscany, a more traditional rom-com.
But the audience overlap is likely limited. The Drama is a more edgy, conversation-driven film, while Tuscany has safe, date-night appeal. Both should safely coexist.
More importantly, The Drama is the kind of film that builds cultural conversation, not just box office.
QUICK NOTE: PIXAR’S HOPPERS HOLDS STEADY
Lastly, I want to talk about Disney/Pixar’s Hoppers.
For families who want to take their kids to a film with actual emotional substance (or have kids that are too young to go see Project Hail Mary), Hoppers is sticking around.
The original talking-animal comedy held okay against Mario, dropping -52% in its 5th weekend, earning another $5.8 million for a total of $150 million in the US and $332 million worldwide.
Hoppers has been very well received so far, with strong reviews and word of mouth (92% on RT and an A from CinemaScore).
I’m expecting a finish around $350-390 million worldwide.
With a $150 million budget, I’m sure the studio would have hoped for a total closer to their 2023 original hit Elemental, which earned $497 million worldwide.
But while not a break-out smash for Pixar, I would count Hoppers as a brand-positive win, especially for an original.
Besides, I’d argue original films like Hoppers are what their sequels pay for, like Inside Out 2, or their upcoming Toy Story 5 this summer.
As long as Pixar’s films are consistently good and well-received, that’s what matters.
FINAL TAKEAWAY: SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
One of the biggest takeaways this weekend is: the theatrical ecosystem is actually pretty healthy right now.
Sure, Mario is dominating with families and video-gamers, but everyone else had options.
Families who aren’t big fans of Mario are still checking out Hoppers.
Adults, sci-fi fans, and older-kids are still flocking to Project Hail Mary.
The date night / intellectual conversation crowd are going to The Drama.
That diversity of options matters at the multiplex.
And that’s it for the weekend box office. What films are you still interested in seeing or hearing about?
I’m looking forward to writing again in this column later when Michael opens.
Zan Hollywood Box Office - Analysis Site 
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