Illumination, Nintendo and Universal's Super Mario Galaxy Movie is set for a $350 million worldwide debut over the Easter weekend. The animated feature is expected to gross $175 million in the US and Canada across five days at 4,000 theaters, with another $175 million from 79 international markets excluding Japan. This would mark the biggest opening of the year so far.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will play on Imax and premium large format screens, building on the success of the 2023 Super Mario Bros. Movie, which opened to $377.2 million globally. US advance ticket sales are slightly ahead of the first film, which earned $146.1 million over its three-day opening and $204.6M over five days. No North American previews are scheduled except for limited 12:01 a.m. shows on Wednesday, according to tracking data reported by Deadline. Young men under 25 and women over 25 show the strongest interest, with moms particularly enthusiastic compared to the previous installment. Last time, the audience was 60% male, with 62% aged 18-34 and strong turnout from Latino and Hispanic viewers at 41% of the crowd. Japan, which led international markets for the first movie with nearly $102 million, will release the sequel on April 24 for Golden Week. Israel has delayed its opening amid regional unrest. Other releases include A24's The Drama, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, tracking for about $12 million, while Amazon MGM's Project Hail Mary eyes $30 million or more in its third weekend.
