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The highly-anticipated Super Mario Galaxy Movie made its way to theaters, and it didn't disappoint at all. The debut wasn't that far off from the original's take 3 years prior. Obviously, the film had a tremendous launch overseas as well. But despite the huge debut, A24's The Drama served as some great counter-programming, achieving the studio's third biggest debut.

The Top 10 earned a combined $192.7 million this weekend. That's down 2.1% from last year, when A Minecraft Movie had the biggest ever debut for a video game title.

Debuting at #1, Universal/Illumination's The Super Mario Galaxy Movie opened with a fantastic $131.7 million in 4,252 theaters. Factoring in its numbers from Wednesday and Thursday, the film has already amassed $190.8 million. It wasn't far off from the original's numbers ($146.3 million three-day, $204.6 million five-day), which is very encouraging considering how some sequels struggle to keep the same interest.

The high numbers aren't surprising. The 2023 film already boasted incredibly high numbers, breaking every possible video game adaptation record. The fact that it decreased just 7% from the original is a great sign of the popularity of this franchise. But most importantly, it shows that Universal and Illumination did a great job with making this a big event.

Replicating or improving on the original's numbers was always a difficult task, given that this sequel lacked the novelty factor. So Universal did the next big thing: introduce more characters and expand the world of the franchise. That included adding Rosalina, Bowser Jr. and Yoshi, three fan favorites that were absent on the prior film. Not content with that, they emphasized that the film would take cues from the Super Mario Galaxy games. And just the week prior to its opening, they decided to make the reveal that Fox McCloud would appear in the film. While that led to some disappointment for spoiling it, clearly it has paid off so far.

If there's a place where the film dropped the ball was on the reviews. The original film earned mediocre reception (59% on RT), but the response to the sequel was even more negative this time around. It's currently sitting at a 42% on RT and 36 on Metacritic. Even if the film still maintained a high debut, those are very poor scores.

According to Universal, 61% of the audience was male, and 59% was in the 18-34 demographic. They gave it an "A−" on CinemaScore, below the original's "A". PostTrak is also quite down from the original; 79% positive (versus first pic’s 94%), and a definite recommend of 62% (versus first pic’s 82%). This indicates that word of mouth is solid, but not close to great as the original title.

The first Mario held very well, thanks to the novelty factor and a very empty April. Galaxy lacks the novelty factor, and while April is mostly weak, it'll have the highly-anticipated Michael at the end of the month, followed by The Devil Wears Prada 2 the next week. It's unlikely it can replicate the original's legs, but it should still be set for a dazzling $450 million domestic total.

Last week's champ Project Hail Mary moved to second place, having lost its IMAX screens to Mario. But despite that, the film dropped a light 41%, earning $31.7 million this weekend. It was the week's only holdover to drop less than 50% on the Top 10. It truly looks like word of mouth is gonna keep it for a long haul. The film has amassed a fantastic $218.2 million domestically, and it will pass The Martian's $228.4 million total in the next few days. It now looks set to pass $300 million domestically.

A24's The Drama opened in third place with a pretty great $14.2 million in 3,087 theaters. That's the studio's third best debut, behind Marty Supreme ($17.7 million) and Civil War ($25.5 million). It also wasn't far from Zendaya's Challengers ($15 million).

Given its low $28 million budget, this is a pretty great debut. And it shows that star power might not be dead after all. The film was sold solely on the appeal of Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, as they face a crisis on the days prior to their wedding. A24 did an excellent job with the marketing, especially highlighting that her "unsettling secret" makes the groom hesitate over going forward with the wedding. They've been secretive to not spoil it, and while you could learn what it was from some news cycles, it's what drove interest and awareness. Some good reviews (77% on RT) also helped.

According to A24, 68% of the audience was female, and 60% of the audience was 25 and over. They gave it a fine "B" on CinemaScore, which isn't a bad grade for a title like this. A24's Materialists held well despite a lower enthusiastic response, so it's reasonable that The Drama could show legs in the next few weeks. Right now, look for the film to make $45 million domestically.

In fourth place, Disney/Pixar's Hoppers was affected by the arrival of Mario. It dropped a rough 52%, for a $5.8 million weekend. The film has amassed $149.6 million, and it looks to finish with around $165 million in North America.

Universal's Reminders of Him dropped 53%, adding $2.2 million. The film's domestic total stands at $45.3 million.

Roadside Attractions released the period drama A Great Awakening in 1,289 theaters and it made a solid $2 million. Even though it earned an "A+" on CinemaScore, it's unlikely it stays long in theaters, given how front-loaded titles like this have been performing.

After its poor start last week, WB's They Will Kill You lived up to its name. It collapsed a poor 60%, earning just $2 million this weekend. The film has earned $8.8 million so far, and it will tap out with around $11 million domestically.

In eighth place, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come had another rough drop. This time, it dipped 55%, for a $1.8 million weekend. The film has earned $20.2 million, and it doesn't have a lot left in the tank.

Dhurandhar 2 is still in the Top 10 on its third week. It dropped 59%, earning $1.8 million. That takes its domestic total to $26.1 million.

Rounding out the Top 10 was Scream 7, which is on its last legs. It collapsed a steep 64%, the worst drop in the Top 10, earning just $947,280. The film has earned $120.5 million, and it looks to finish with around $122 million domestically.

OVERSEAS

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie debuted with $181.8 million overseas, for a dazzling $372.6 million worldwide debut. Easily the year's best worldwide debut, and the second biggest for Illumination and for any video game adaptation, behind the original Mario ($377.6 million).

The biggest market was Mexico, where the film debuted with a mighty $29.1 million, the fourth biggest debut in history. The other strong markets were the UK ($19.7M), Germany ($15.8M), France ($13M), Spain ($10.8M), China ($8.4M), Italy ($7.8M), Australia ($6.4M), Brazil ($5.4M), Colombia ($5.4M), Taiwan ($3.7M), Netherlands ($3.7M), Peru ($3.6M), Chile ($3.3M) and Austria ($2.6M).

The film cost just $110 million, so it's safely in the profit area already. It has the advantage of weak family competition till May, so it could hold very well in the coming weeks. It should easily cross the $1 billion mark like its predecessor.

Project Hail Mary surprisingly held very well overseas, despite Mario's huge debut. It added $42.7 million, which is off just 23% from last week, and taking its worldwide total to $421.6 million, indicating strong word of mouth hasn't slowed down at all. The film's best markets are the UK ($29.1M), China ($27.8M), Australia ($14.7M), Germany ($12.8M), South Korea ($12.3M), Mexico ($10.4M), France ($7.3M), Japan ($7.1M), Spain ($5.6M), Brazil ($5.1M), India ($4.7M), Italy ($4.3M), Netherlands ($3.7M), United Arab Emirates ($3.2M), Taiwan ($3.1M), Saudia Arabia ($3M), Denmark ($2.1M), Colombia ($2M), and Hong Kong ($1.9M). The overseas markets are starting to get close to the domestic gross and it should overtake it eventually, now that its biggest competition is out of the way. It could cross $500 million worldwide as early as next week, and it looks like $600 million will now be feasible.

Hoppers added $18.2 million overseas, taking its worldwide total to $332.4 million. The best markets are China ($20.4M), the UK ($16.6M), Mexico ($14.2M), Germany ($13.8M), France ($10.1M), Spain ($8.2M), Taiwan ($6.6M), Italy ($5.8M), and Brazil ($5.4M).

The Drama made its debut in a few markets and launched with a pretty good $13.6 million overseas, for a $27.8 million worldwide start. This is impressive, considering it was playing in just 16 markets. The UK led markets with $2.8 million, followed by Italy and France, debuting in the $2.3-$2.4 million range. It has so many big markets left, but based on the promising debuts, it looks like A24 will have another addition to the $100 million club.

FILMS THAT ENDED THEIR RUN THIS WEEK

• Turns out it didn't take long for Inside Out 2's animated record to go down, as two films have already passed it. Disney's Zootopia 2 has closed with a pretty great $428 million domestically, ranking as 2025's highest grossing film domestically. The real money, however, was outside America, as the film closed with a mammoth $1.869 billion worldwide, ranking as the second biggest animated film behind Ne Zha 2. That includes a colossal run in China, where the film became the highest grossing American title in every possible currency and number of tickets. Even if one expected $1 billion for this film, did anyone had this passing Avatar: Fire and Ash? An insane run, and it's unlikely Disney waits 9 years for a follow-up.

• A24's Marty Supreme has closed with a pretty great $179 million worldwide, easily becoming the studio's highest grossing film. If there was any doubt on whether Timothée Chalamet had star draw outside IPs, you've got your answer. Yes, the film blanked at the Oscars, but that doesn't erase the fact that it had a pretty great run around the world. Let's see how Timmy does with the other Christmas release this year.

• Amazon MGM's Crime 101 has closed with a meager $67.9 million worldwide, failing to recoup its $90 million budget. Even though Amazon doesn't operate like other film studios, this is still a very poor take, especially considering the film had positive reviews on its side. And it's another bad mark in Chris Hemsworth's career; he hasn't had a single hit outside the MCU since 2012.

THIS WEEKEND

With Mario set for a big second weekend, nothing stands a chance in taking it down.

Universal is launching some counter-programming with the rom-com You, Me & Tuscany, starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page. Rom-coms have had mixed results in the post-pandemic world, but there's always the potential that one of them could break out. Is this gonna be that one?

Neon is releasing Steven Soderbergh's new film, The Christophers, in limited release. It stars Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, Jessica Gunning, and James Corden. It follows the estranged children of a well-known artist, who employ a forger to finish his incomplete paintings in order to sell them. Soderbergh hasn't been successful at the box office over the past years, and given its subject matter, it'd be surprising if this film changed that course.

STREAMING DATA

Figures for the week of March 23 to March 29 on Netflix:

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man remained at #1 with 19.4 million views on its second weekend. That takes its 10-day tally to 44.7 million views.

War Machine stayed in second place with 10.3 million views. The film continues performing above The Rip through the same point as it hits 112 million views.

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