Scene from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
Source: Universal Pictures
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” enjoyed otherworldly success at the box office in its second weekend in theaters.
The Universal and Illumination sequel added $69 million from 4,284 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday. That brings its running domestic total to $308.1 million and its global total to $629 million.
That’s a 48% drop from the film’s first weekend in theaters, a fairly modest decline for a blockbuster. But the chasm between this movie and the first continues to grow. By its second weekend in 2023, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” — which was much better reviewed than its follow-up — had earned over $353 million domestically. Still, the sequel is an unabashed hit by any measure, having cost only $110 million to produce.
The movie is also helping to power up box-office momentum before the summer movie season begins in May.
The weekend’s big new opener was also a Universal release: The travelogue romantic comedy “You, Me & Tuscany,” starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page of “Bridgerton” fame. It debuted in fourth place with an estimated $8 million at the box office from 3,151 screens, against a reported production budget of $18 million. Women made up an overwhelming 80% of the audience.
Directed by Kat Coiro, the movie arrived in theaters with mixed to positive reviews. According to a review by The Associated Press, it’s “a movie as frothy and insubstantial as the foam on a nice cappuccino.” It currently holds a 68% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Audiences seemed to enjoy it a bit more. According to PostTrak exit polls, 77% of ticket buyers said they would “definitely recommend” it to friends. It also got an A- on CinemaScore, which suggests it could have a healthy life in theaters.
Second place at the box office this week went to Amazon MGM Studios’ “Project Hail Mary,” which is still drawing double-digit ticket sales in its fourth weekend. It added an estimated $24.6 million from Friday to Sunday, bringing its domestic total to $256.7 million.
“The Drama” took third place in its second weekend, with $8.7 million. The buzzy A24 movie about an engaged couple, starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, fell only 38%, bringing its domestic total to $30.8 million and its worldwide total to $65 million.
Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers” rounded out the top five in its sixth weekend with $4.1 million. The animated movie has made $354.4 million globally to date.