Nintendo is officially untouchable. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hit 4,000 North American theaters on Wednesday. Box office projections are completely astronomical. The sequel is tracking for a staggering $350 million global opening. This massive haul includes an estimated $175 million to $180 million five-day domestic launch. The theatrical juggernaut is instantly poised to dethrone Amazon MGM’s Project Hail Mary, the current highest-grossing film of 2026.
But critics absolutely hate it. The film currently sits at a 44% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 37 on Metacritic. Reviewers are widely dismissing the Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic-directed project as an exhausting, overstuffed sugar rush. The harsh critical consensus is perfectly captured by a detailed report published by the Washington Post. The review praised the Charlie Chaplin-esque physical slapstick but slammed the movie’s heavy reliance on snarky dialogue and brief musical needle drops like “Rosalina in the Observatory.”
The plot leaves the Mushroom Kingdom behind for a space-bound adaptation of the 2007 video game. Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black all return to voice their iconic characters. They are joined by new heavy-hitters. Donald Glover voices Yoshi, Brie Larson steps in as Rosalina, and Benny Safdie plays Bowser Jr. Universal and Nintendo are also actively using the sequel to launch a wider cinematic universe. Glen Powell makes his official debut as Star Fox protagonist Fox McCloud to tease future franchise spin-offs.
The true industry impact of this Easter weekend goes far beyond a single box office return. Nintendo is single-handedly rewriting the rules of video game adaptations. The original 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed $1.36 billion worldwide. By tracking to crack the top 10 highest-grossing video game adaptations of all time within its opening weekend alone, this 2026 sequel proves the first film was not a fluke.
The historic stigma of the disastrous 1993 live-action movie is completely erased. Nintendo now operates as a self-sustaining Hollywood powerhouse. They are capable of minting back-to-back billion-dollar franchises regardless of critical reception. The fans are showing up, and traditional film criticism is proving entirely powerless to stop them.