Nintendo and Illumination have once again made cinematic history, as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie debuted globally to a staggering $68.4 million in box office revenue on its first day.
This opening surpasses the impressive $66.4 million launch day of its predecessor, The Super Mario Bros.
Movie, and cements the Mario franchise as a heavyweight in animated feature films.
The figures, verified by Deadline, also signal a series of new records broken across major markets worldwide.
In Mexico, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie achieved a landmark $6.7 million, marking the largest Universal Pictures opening ever recorded in the country and the second highest animated opening of all time.
This exceeded the prior launch of The Super Mario Bros.
Movie, which reached $5.9 million on its opening day.
The United Kingdom and Ireland also delivered impressive results, with a combined $4.3 million on opening day—the second highest single-day preview total for an animated title in the region’s box office history.
Meanwhile, Germany noted its largest animated film debut ever with $3.8 million, surpassing the $2.8 million opening day set by the previous Mario film and setting a new record for Universal in the country.
Spain reported a $3 million opening, ranking as the second greatest first-day gross for an animated film and the third highest opening day overall, trailing only behind Twilight and Inside Out 2.
This result also improved significantly on the $2.2 million opening of the 2023 Mario movie.
France contributed $2.9 million, establishing the film as Illumination’s second biggest debut in the country—and the largest outside holiday periods.
Central America recorded $1.8 million, marking the second highest animated opening day in the region’s history—outpaced only by Avengers: Endgame.
The original Super Mario Bros.
Movie’s opening in Central America stood at $1.3 million.
Austria also saw new milestones with a $700,000 first-day box office, setting all-time records for both a Universal and animated release in the market.
Other noteworthy opening day grosses included $1.5 million from Italy, $1.1 million in Colombia, and $700,000 in Australia.
Domestically, the United States led with $34 million, securing the film’s status as the best opening day for any movie released this year, and setting a new benchmark for an "opening Wednesday" in April—a record previously held by The Super Mario Bros.
Movie’s $31.7 million.
Looking ahead, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is set to launch in key territories such as Japan and Korea later this month, with further box office results expected.
Critical reception for the film has been mixed, however.
Rotten Tomatoes currently lists a critic score of 42% alongside an audience approval rating of 90%.
In its review, Nintendo Life awarded the sequel six out of ten stars, describing it as "a faithful but overstuffed sequel."
With these record-shattering numbers, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s debut not only reinforces the global appeal of Nintendo’s beloved franchise but also highlights Illumination’s continued expertise in animated storytelling.
As more markets join the release, the Nintendo Switch-powered universe of Mario continues to captivate both fans and industry insiders worldwide.
This opening surpasses the impressive $66.4 million launch day of its predecessor, The Super Mario Bros.
Movie, and cements the Mario franchise as a heavyweight in animated feature films.
The figures, verified by Deadline, also signal a series of new records broken across major markets worldwide.
In Mexico, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie achieved a landmark $6.7 million, marking the largest Universal Pictures opening ever recorded in the country and the second highest animated opening of all time.
This exceeded the prior launch of The Super Mario Bros.
Movie, which reached $5.9 million on its opening day.
The United Kingdom and Ireland also delivered impressive results, with a combined $4.3 million on opening day—the second highest single-day preview total for an animated title in the region’s box office history.
Meanwhile, Germany noted its largest animated film debut ever with $3.8 million, surpassing the $2.8 million opening day set by the previous Mario film and setting a new record for Universal in the country.
Spain reported a $3 million opening, ranking as the second greatest first-day gross for an animated film and the third highest opening day overall, trailing only behind Twilight and Inside Out 2.
This result also improved significantly on the $2.2 million opening of the 2023 Mario movie.
France contributed $2.9 million, establishing the film as Illumination’s second biggest debut in the country—and the largest outside holiday periods.
Central America recorded $1.8 million, marking the second highest animated opening day in the region’s history—outpaced only by Avengers: Endgame.
The original Super Mario Bros.
Movie’s opening in Central America stood at $1.3 million.
Austria also saw new milestones with a $700,000 first-day box office, setting all-time records for both a Universal and animated release in the market.
Other noteworthy opening day grosses included $1.5 million from Italy, $1.1 million in Colombia, and $700,000 in Australia.
Domestically, the United States led with $34 million, securing the film’s status as the best opening day for any movie released this year, and setting a new benchmark for an "opening Wednesday" in April—a record previously held by The Super Mario Bros.
Movie’s $31.7 million.
Looking ahead, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is set to launch in key territories such as Japan and Korea later this month, with further box office results expected.
Critical reception for the film has been mixed, however.
Rotten Tomatoes currently lists a critic score of 42% alongside an audience approval rating of 90%.
In its review, Nintendo Life awarded the sequel six out of ten stars, describing it as "a faithful but overstuffed sequel."
With these record-shattering numbers, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s debut not only reinforces the global appeal of Nintendo’s beloved franchise but also highlights Illumination’s continued expertise in animated storytelling.
As more markets join the release, the Nintendo Switch-powered universe of Mario continues to captivate both fans and industry insiders worldwide.