The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Just Convinced Me It’ll Beat The $1.3B Original

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It’s tough for any movie to match the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. After a disastrous first attempt to bring the popular Nintendo video game to the big screen in 1993, fans waited thirty years for another adaptation. While critics weren’t blown away by the new film, audiences clearly loved it. The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed $1.36 billion in theaters, making it the second highest-earning film of 2023 after Barbie.

The sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, titled The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, comes out on April 1st. While I was confident it would do well, I didn’t think it would match the incredible success of the first film. Reaching $1 billion in box office revenue is difficult now, and this movie didn’t have the same initial hype as the original Mario film. I predicted Galaxy would be a major hit and one of the year’s biggest, but still wouldn’t quite reach the same heights as its predecessor.

I used to think the new Mario movie wouldn’t do as well as the first one, but after watching the trailer, I’ve changed my mind. I now believe The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will make more money than The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and it might even become the highest-grossing film of 2026.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Is A Big Expansion Of The Previous Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie has a big difference in scores between critics (59%) and audiences (95%) on Rotten Tomatoes, but this mainly comes down to what each group values. Critics found the story weak and thought the movie relied too much on hidden references, while general audiences didn’t mind these things and actually enjoyed the references. Ultimately, the movie was fun and stayed true to the Mario universe, which was enough for most viewers to have a good time.

The big question was whether this movie would draw audiences to theaters when many people now prefer to watch films at home. I doubted it would. Plus, if viewers weren’t thrilled with the first movie, the second one was likely to sell fewer tickets.

The initial trailer, released last November, confirmed what I suspected. It showcased many familiar elements from the original – the main characters, animation, and humor – while also teasing some new features. Essentially, it promises more of what fans enjoyed in the first installment, but with a few fresh twists.

Okay, so the newest trailer dropped on January 26th, and it completely changed my mind about this movie. Where I initially saw a simple continuation of the first film, this trailer really showcases how much bigger and more adventurous The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is going to be, especially with the addition of Yoshi. It’s clear they’re really embracing the exploration aspect of the Galaxy games. And honestly, the reaction online has been amazing – everyone’s picking up on all the clever nods to the games and getting hyped about the new characters. I’m going from expecting a solid sequel to anticipating something truly ambitious.

If I’m excited about a sequel, others likely are too. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie seems poised to attract viewers who weren’t thrilled with the first film but are eager for a more in-depth adaptation of the games. Considering its early release before the peak of summer blockbusters and a lack of strong competition for several weeks, I predict this movie will be a massive success this year.

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2026-01-31 16:00