Despite Critic Condemnation, ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ Film Shatters Box Office Records on Opening Day

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The Super Mario Galaxy movie’s impressive box-office success stands in stark contrast to its critical reception. Despite harsh reviews—some critics calling it “flat,” “empty,” and even “torturous”—the film grossed nearly $34 million on its opening day, April 2, 2026, setting a new record for the highest-grossing April Wednesday, driven by genuine day-one demand rather than early previews. This surpassed The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which earned $31.7 million on its opening day in 2023. The film has a Metacritic score of 37, indicating “generally unfavorable reviews.” Eurogamer awarded the movie two stars, and Christian Donlan described it as “quite bad.” IGN gave the film a 6/10. Audience reviews, however, are far more positive, with a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a user score of 7.7 on Metacritic. Many viewers praise the film as a fun celebration of the Mario universe, highlighting game references, light humor, and action sequences geared towards fans. Initial estimates projected an impressive $350 million opening weekend worldwide. Given the film’s strong start and soaring walk-up traffic, the final figures will likely be even higher.

Nintendo’s Cinematic Ambitions Soar with Super Mario Galaxy and Zelda Movies Breaking Box Office Records

In other industry news, Michael Jackson’s upcoming musical biopic is expected to earn over $55 million at its opening. Also, Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble received a compensation package worth $10.8 million for 2025. Given the Super Mario Galaxy movie’s strong opening, expectations are high that Nintendo will continue investing in cinematic adaptations of its intellectual property. Before a potential third animated Super Mario film, Nintendo plans to release a live-action Zelda movie in 2027, testing the cinematic potential of its second-largest franchise.

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In other news, our gaming enthusiast contributor Marcus Thompson has been keeping tabs on the Tomb Raider franchise. In his latest post, “Sophie Turner Injured While Filming Tomb Raider” (published March 31st), he shares worrying news that an injury sustained by Sophie Turner during filming has temporarily paused production on Prime Video’s live-action adaptation. Delving into potential impacts of this delay on release dates and what it means for fans eagerly awaiting these new Tomb Raider projects, Marcus’ insightful analysis is a must-read here Sophie Turner Injured While Filming Tomb Raider. Meanwhile, Marcus has also been exploring the surprising success story of Pearl Abyss’ Crimson Desert. In his latest article published on April 2nd, he reveals how this open-world gem managed to rack up an impressive 4 million sales in just under two weeks despite a lukewarm initial reception. Thompson dives into whether the game has already turned profitable for its developers and how it’s become one of Steam’s current top-played titles – dive into the full story here Crimson Desert Achieves 4 Million Sales in Under 15 Days: Is the Game Already Profitable?. Lastly, in the rapidly evolving world of gaming and entertainment, our colleague Ahmed Hassan has been investigating whispers about Disney’s interest in Epic Games. Published on March 31st, his insightful piece titled “Disney Seeks Ownership of Fortnite” explores former Disney executive Kevin Mayer’s suggestions and the potential implications of a deal under new CEO Josh D’Amaro’s leadership. So if you’re curious about what could be next for the world’s most popular battle royale game, head over to read it now: Disney Seeks Ownership of Fortnite.