The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Is Brutally Dividing Critics & Audiences On Rotten Tomatoes

by

Let’s-a go! The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is officially winning over audiences.

The latest Nintendo Mario movie takes things to a whole new level – outer space! Mario, Luigi, and Peach leave the Mushroom Kingdom for a galactic adventure to stop Bowser Jr. While the film includes fun references to classic Super Mario games and introduces new characters, critics weren’t impressed. They found the story weak, the development of Mario and Rosalina lacking, and the movie had too many characters. However, audiences seem to have a different opinion.

Viewers really loved The Super Mario Bros. Movie, giving it a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on over 1,000 reviews. However, critics were much less enthusiastic, with a score of just 43%. This difference in opinion isn’t new for the Mario franchise; past installments have also received very different reactions from audiences and critics.

Interestingly, The Super Mario Bros. Movie also showed a big difference between what critics and audiences thought. Critics gave the 2023 film a 59% rating, but audiences loved it, giving it a very high score of 95%.

Every Super Mario Movie Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Super Mario Bros. (1993) 27% 30%
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) 59% 95%
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) 43% 91%

Interestingly, The Super Mario Bros. Movie also showed a big difference in opinion between critics and audiences. Critics gave the 2023 film a score of 59%, while audiences loved it, giving it a 95% rating.

It’s not surprising that critics and audiences had different reactions, as the movie heavily relies on nostalgia. In addition to bringing back beloved characters in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, it finally introduced popular video game favorites like Yoshi and Rosalina to the big screen. Many viewers especially loved how adorable Yoshi and the Luma stars were. The film is packed with action and includes fun Easter eggs and references to the games, such as appearances by Star Fox, a T. rex, and the baby versions of Mario.

The surprising connection between Rosalina and Peach, and the big character reveal at the end of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, have caused a lot of buzz online. While some fans haven’t fully embraced the new character’s design, the reveal suggests we might see even more new faces in a possible third movie.

The movie is already proving to be a commercial success, earning $34.5 million on its first Wednesday – the highest amount for that day in April ever. This is even better than the $31.7 million earned by last year’s film. Current estimates suggest the movie will gross around $186 million in the US, slightly less than the original’s $204 million. Despite this, it’s on track to be the highest-grossing film of the year before major summer blockbusters arrive.

Even though critics had mixed or negative reactions to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Nintendo and Illumination seem to have another success on their hands. Ultimately, what audiences think matters most, and early signs are positive – the movie received an A- CinemaScore, suggesting people are enjoying it. Because of this, we likely won’t have to wait long for the studio to announce a third movie is being planned.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is bringing back Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, and Jack Black to reprise their roles. Joining them are new cast members Brie Larson, Donald Glover, and Glen Powell. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic are directing again, and Matthew Fogel wrote the script.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is now playing in theaters.

Read More

2026-04-03 01:12