The Super Mario Galaxy Movie became the first movie to gross $1 billion at the box office in 2026.
As first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the movie has generated $428.5 million in the United States and $571.5 million internationally. Its predecessor, the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie, earned over $1.3 billion at the box office. This means that, between the two films, Mario has become one of Hollywood’s most lucrative animated film series.
According to the report, the Mario franchise ranks ninth among animated juggernauts, with $2.3 billion generated across both films and Global ticket sales. It joins the likes of Kung Fu Panda, Inside Out, and Despicable Me. Of course, the Despicable Me franchise was also created by Illumination and gave birth to the Minions.
What’s Next for the Mario Franchise in Film and Games?
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was the main event of Mario’s 40th anniversary. Unfortunately, most Mario game lovers are waiting for the announcement of the next 3D Mario experience, considering it’s been nearly 10 years since the release of Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch. The Galaxy Movie took a considerable amount of direction from Odyssey, as it served as a mishmash of many of Mario’s adventures from the last 40 years.
Characters like Wart and Birdo from Super Mario Bros 2 made their big-screen debut, and there were even some other Nintendo standouts that were featured in cameos, such as Fox McCloud from the Star Fox series.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of the Mario series, has confirmed that some of the changes made in the film will carry over into gaming lore. Fans can read more about that here.
As for when we might see the next Mario game, a Nintendo Direct is rumored to be scheduled for the coming week. Prominent leaker NateTheHate has dated the next Mario game for a likely 2027 release. Learn more about that here.
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