The Critics' Dilemma and the Fans' Triumph: Why Nintendo is Winning Again

The film set a 2026 record, earning $34.5 million on its first day of release in the US.

The plot moves the action into space, introducing Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) and Bowser Jr.

The audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes reached 91%, despite lukewarm reviews from professional critics (41%).

The world premiere of "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" from Illumination and Nintendo studios, which took place on April 3, 2026, turned into a box office triumph. The sequel not only surpassed the 2023 start of the first part ($31.7 million) but also showed the best first-day result among all releases of the current year, overtaking the science fiction drama "Project Hail Mary." According to analyst forecasts, during the first five days of the Easter holiday weekend, the film could collect about $186–200 million in North America alone, while global box office receipts for the first week will exceed $350 million.

The storyline expands the universe: while Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) learn to work with a new partner—the little dinosaur Yoshi (Donald Glover), Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) kidnaps the guardian of space, Rosalina. This forces the heroes to embark on an intergalactic journey. Despite the commercial success and fan excitement over the abundance of "Easter eggs" for the Galaxy series games, critics remained dissatisfied with the "safe" and predictable script. However, the colossal earnings confirm: the Mario franchise has finally displaced classic superhero blockbusters from the pedestal of main family hits.