The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has crossed $1 billion at the global box office, becoming the first film released in 2026 to reach that milestone. After this weekend, the Universal and Illumination production stands at $428.5 million domestically and $571.5 million internationally. The sequel to 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie — which itself earned nearly $1.4 billion — cost $110 million to produce, making it highly profitable for the studio. Over two films, the Mario franchise has now grossed $2.3 billion globally, ranking ninth among animated film series.
super mario galaxy movie just crossed $1B worldwide — first 2026 release to do it. domestic sits at $428.5M, international at $571.5M. cost only $110M to make, which is cheap for an animated feature, so this thing is printing money. the two mario movies combined have pulled $2.3 billion, putting the franchise ninth all-time among animated series.
Fills a moderate film_tv gap (5 stories in 48h) with highly specific, checkable claims from two tier-one trade sources (THR and Variety), corroborating the same milestone with named figures — no duplication of recent coverage.
The Mario franchise's back-to-back billion-dollar runs cement Illumination and Nintendo as one of Hollywood's most reliable animated partnerships. The $2.3 billion cumulative gross across just two films puts Mario within striking distance of Inside Out ($2.56B, two films) and well ahead of franchises that needed far more installments. For the theatrical exhibition business — still recovering from pandemic-era audience shifts — a guaranteed animated tentpole crossing $1B is a meaningful signal that event-level family films can still drive outsized turnout.
two movies, $2.3 billion. mario is now a top-10 animated franchise after just two entries — the same lane as inside out and kung fu panda, but those needed more films to get there. for theaters still trying to rebuild post-pandemic, a $1B animated movie on a $110M budget is the exact proof-of-concept studios want. universal and nintendo basically have a money printer.
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