The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is tracking for a $160 million-plus five-day domestic opening over the Easter holiday stretch, according to Deadline. The animated sequel opens Wednesday, April 1, and the early projection is already being described as conservative.
Better early tracking than the first movie
Deadline says the heat on tracking is ahead of 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie at the same stage. That film opened to $204.6 million over five days and $146.3 million over three days, so the new movie is entering theaters with big expectations even before reviews and final presales fully kick in.
Why the estimate stands out
A $160 million-plus five-day debut would instantly make The Super Mario Galaxy Movie one of the biggest openings ever for April and another major win for Nintendo, Illumination, and Universal. Deadline also notes the sequel is showing strong first-choice numbers, with awareness in line with Lilo & Stitch and the first Mario movie, while running ahead of A Minecraft Movie in that category.
Strong interest with younger moviegoers
Per Deadline, the movie is playing best with guys under 25 in first choice, but the interest is said to be strong across the board. That suggests the sequel is not only pulling in the core Mario audience, but also broad family and general audience appeal heading into opening week.
A bigger cosmic adventure
Nintendo’s official movie page says The Super Mario Galaxy Movie sends Mario and Luigi into space after Princess Peach’s birthday party sparks a galactic adventure. The story involves Bowser Jr.’s plans and a mission to save Rosalina, giving the sequel a much bigger scale than the first film.
April 1 release now locked in
Nintendo also confirms the movie opens in theaters on April 1, 2026. Tickets are already on sale, and the studio has been ramping up promotion with the final trailer and MAR10 Day push, which only adds to the momentum heading into opening weekend.
