(L to R) Luigi (Charlie Day) and Mario (Chris Pratt) in Nintendo and Illumination’s ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
Preview:
‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ has secured the biggest box office launch for the year to date.
It’s a sequel to 2023’s ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’.
‘Project Hail Mary’ was pushed to second, but is still performing well.
Easter Weekend feels like the appropriate date for the return of a character. In this case, it’s Mario (voiced in animated form by Chris Pratt), back in ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.’
The sequel to 2023 hit ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ has been scoring plenty of points at the box office –– as it was predicted to –– earning $130 million domestically and $182.4 million internationally across its five-day extended release period for a global total of $372.5 million so far.
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While the new movie didn’t quite hit the highs of the original, it certainly came close, and Universal will certainly be happy with its performance, which once again happened despite some caustic reviews.
Amazon MGM’s sci-fi outing ‘Project Hail Mary’, which enjoyed a brief run as the biggest 2026 box office launch to date, continues to do well, dropping just 43% in its third weekend. It has now earned $217 million domestically and more than $400 million internationally, and despite losing some premium format screens to ‘Mario’, is still drawing crowds.
Third place was the week’s other main new entry, A24 drama ‘The Drama’. Starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, the controversial movie took in $13.6 million domestically.
In fourth place, Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ earned $5.8 million, pushing its own total to more than $332 million worldwide.
‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ looks to have little major competition coming up in the family field, and next week brings rom-com ‘You, Me & Tuscany’ and thriller remake ‘Faces of Death’.
(L to R) Anna (Halle Bailey) and Michael (Regé-Jean Page) in ‘You, Me & Tuscany’, directed by Kat Coiro. Photo: Giulia Parmigiani/Universal Pictures.
List of Movies Similar to ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie:’
‘Project Hail Mary’ is a big hit at the box office already.
Ryan Gosling stars in the movie.
Elsewhere, Pixar’s ‘Hoppers’ stayed strong but ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ only found modest results.
‘Project Hail Mary’ chronicles a man in spaceship on a mission to save humanity from a star-snacking organism. And the movie itself, which stars Ryan Gosling, has just saved Amazon MGM’s box office hopes.
The new film, adapted from the novel by ‘The Martian’s Andy Weir by writer Drew Goddard and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, enjoyed a massive domestic opening of $80.5 million, the biggest by far for the studio.
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Even with a hefty $200 million budget to make up (not including a big ad campaign), the movie’s worldwide start of 140.9 million –– the biggest in Amazon MGM’s history and the strongest launch for a movie so far this year –– will go some way to helping that.
Pixar’s ‘Hoppers,’ which has proved to be a welcome success for the animation company, slid to second place after a couple of weeks. It added $18 million for $120.4 million domestically.
Third place went to the Indian action epic ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge,’ which earned $9.5 million from just 987 locations.
Searchlight’s ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ had to make do with $9 million domestically and $11.9 million globally, but has a relatively smaller budget of around $20 million.
Finally, in fifth place we find romantic drama ‘Reminders of Him’, which made $8 million.
What’s on the horizon?
(L to R) Luigi, Yoshi, Mario and Toad in Nintendo and Illumination’s ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
‘Project Hail Mary’ should have a clear run to keep earning next week, though Universal’s ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ is looming, and if it follows the pattern of the original, will likely launch in first place when it arrives on April 1.
Moviefone has compiled a list of the most anticipated movies opening in theaters and/or streaming in March and April 2026, which not only includes major studio releases but also smaller independent films that you won’t want to miss.
Scientists have discovered how to “hop” human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing people to communicate with animals as animals. Animal lover Mabel (Piper Curda) seizes an opportunity to use the technology, uncovering mysteries within the animal world that are beyond anything she could have imagined.
A lonely Frankenstein (Christian Bale) travels to 1930s Chicago to ask groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious (Annette Bening) to create a companion for him. The two revive a murdered young woman and The Bride (Jessie Buckley) is born. But what ensues is beyond what either of them imagined.
After his estranged son gets embroiled in a Nazi plot, self-exiled gangster Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) must return to Birmingham to save his family — and his nation. ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’ opens in select theaters on March 6th, and on Netflix March 20th.
On one last grueling mission during Army Ranger training, a combat engineer (Alan Ritchson) must lead his unit in a fight against a giant otherworldly killing machine.
Stephen Graham stars in ‘Heel’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
From Academy Award nominated director Jan Komasa, ‘Heel’ is a twisted thriller that follows 19-year-old hooligan Tommy (Anson Boon), who revels in a life of drugs, parties, and violence. One night, on a bender with his reckless friends, he becomes separated from the group and is abducted by an unknown figure (Golden Globe winner Stephen Graham). Though he is no stranger to inflicting violence, he is enraged and horrified when he wakes to find himself chained in the basement of the isolated suburban family home of Chris (Graham), his wife Kathryn (Academy Award nominee Andrea Riseborough), and their young son Jonathan (Kit Rakusen). The family sets out to reform Tommy’s unruly behavior, forcing him to comply with their relentless mind games or seek escape at any cost.
Milla Jovovich stars in ‘Protector’. Photo: Magenta Light Studios.
Former war hero Nikki’s (Milla Jovovich) peaceful life is shattered when her daughter is kidnapped. Thrust into the criminal underworld while hunted by cops and military, she must fight to rescue her child.
(L to R) Bradley Whitford and Amy Landecker star in ‘For Worse’. Photo: Brainstorm Media.
Lauren (Amy Landecker), a newly divorced, sober mom, feels like she has a new lease on life after joining her first acting class and starting a fling with her hot, young scene partner. However, when they attend their Gen Z classmate’s wedding together, things begin to fall apart, and Lauren finds herself behaving like a drunk 25-year-old bridesmaid. Luckily after a disastrous night she stumbles into a new day and a new beginning.
When Diem’s (Zoe Kosovic) custodial grandparents adamantly refuse Kenna’s (Maika Monroe) attempts to see her, she discovers unexpected compassion, and then something truer and deeper, with former NFL player and local bar owner Ledger (Tyriq Withers). As their secret romance develops, so do the dangers for both of them, leading Kenna toward heartbreak and, ultimately, the hope for a second chance.
A still from the action, sci-fi and adventure film, ‘Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead’, a Blue Harbor Entertainment release. Photo courtesy of Blue Harbor Entertainment.
300 years after the Big Flood, the legend of an outlawed Storm Rider inspires two rebellious islanders to find out the truth about the origin of their world.
(Center) Josh Duhamel as “Alan” in the Comedy, Family film, ‘Preschool’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
Two determined fathers engage in a comical battle to enroll their kids in an elite preschool, escalating into an absurd competition with unexpected results.
Ryan Gosling in ‘Project Hail Mary’. Photo: Amazon MGM Studios.
Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), a school-teacher-turned-astronaut, wakes up from a coma, alone, on a space station with no memory of who he is or his mission. His memory returns in bursts and he pieces together that he was sent to the Tau Ceti solar system, 12 light-years from Earth, to reverse the impact of a space event that had already hurled our planet into the early stages of an Ice Age. As details of the mission unravel, Grace must call on all of his scientific training and sheer ingenuity, but he might not have to do it alone…
Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.
Nick Offerman and Nina Oyama star in ‘The Pout-Pout Fish’. Photo: Viva Pictures.
Living on a rundown shipwreck, Mr. Fish (Nick Offerman) one day discovers a hyperactive young sea dragon Pip (Nina Oyama), who had mistaken his home for a junkyard – pilfering his belongings. The heated argument that ensues leaves both their houses in ruin. But there is hope! Embarking on a seemingly impossible quest in search of the mythical “Shimmer” to grant them a wish, there’s only one problem: someone else is on the hunt…
Rose Byrne in ‘Tow.’ Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
After her car is towed and she is left with a shocking $21,634 tow bill, an unhoused woman (Rose Byrne) wages a relentless fight to reclaim her car—and her life—exposing a broken system and redefining what it means to persevere against all odds.
(L to R) Director Sofia Coppola and Marc Jacobs on the set of the documentary ‘Marc by Sofia’. Photo: A24.
An intimate, unconventional portrait of Marc Jacobs, crafted by Sofia Coppola to capture the genius and singular universe of the iconic American designer.
(L to R) Grace (Avantika), Princess (Lana Condor), Bones (Maddie Ziegler), Chloe (Millicent Simmonds), and Zoe (Iris Apatow) in ‘Pretty Lethal’. Photo: Amazon.
A troupe of ballerinas find themselves fighting for survival as they attempt to escape from a remote inn after their bus breaks down on the way to a dance competition.
Alpha (Mélissa Boros), a troubled 13-year-old lives with her single mom. Their world collapses the day she returns from school with a tattoo on her arm.
From the Academy Award-winning filmmakers behind ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once‘ and Navalny; a father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this AIinsanity. ‘The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist’ is a hand-made, eye-opening documentary about the most powerful technology humanity has ever created… and what’s at stake if we get it wrong.
A woman (Zazie Beetz) answers a help wanted ad to be a housekeeper in a mysterious high-rise in New York City, not realizing she is entering a community that has seen a number of disappearances over the years and may be under the grip of a Satanic cult.
Johnny Pemberton as “Doug Nelson” in the Action, Comedy, Horror film, ‘Mermaid’. Photo courtesy of Utopia.
A Percocet-addicted ‘Florida Man’ finds a wounded mermaid at his lowest point. Fascination becomes a drug infused, one sided relationship — sending him further into decline. When word spreads about his secret, he’ll stop at nothing to protect her.
(L to R) Keanu Reeves and Jonah Hill in ‘Outcome’, premiering April 10, 2026 on Apple TV.
Reef Hawk (Keanu Reeves), Hollywood’s poster child since age six, is not okay. When he learns about an extortion plot tied to a mysterious video, Reef preemptively sets out on a redemption tour to make amends, confront his demons, and avoid getting canceled.
(L to R) Russell Crowe and Daniel MacPherson in ‘Beast’. Photo: Lionsgate.
A commercial fisherman struggling to provide for his family and avenge his brother’s death fights in a mixed martial-arts match against a dangerous opponent. Starring Russell Crowe and Daniel MacPherson.
A scene from 2026’s ‘Faces of Death’. Photo: Shudder.
A moderator on an internet video-sharing platform stumbles across a potential snuff film ring hidden in the depths of the site’s content. Are these gruesome videos merely a morbid work of shock-value fiction, or something all too horribly real?
(L to R) Anna (Halle Bailey) and Michael (Regé-Jean Page) in ‘You, Me & Tuscany’, directed by Kat Coiro. Photo: Giulia Parmigiani/Universal Pictures.
Free-spirited Italian chef (Halle Bailey) and reserved British lawyer (Regé-Jean Page) embark on a whirlwind romance during a destination wedding in coastal Italy.
Oil tycoon Merriell Sunday Sr. and renowned adventurer Hollis Bannister have disappeared without a trace. Their last known location is northern Alaska. Ellie Bannister and Merriell Sunday Jr., set out to search for their missing fathers and the truth behind what made them vanish. As the rescue team heads deeper into the heart of this frozen landscape, danger mounts. Something has taken notice of their trespassing expedition…and that prehistoric something is now stalking them…hunting them.
Focus Features will release ‘Lorne’ in theaters on April 17th.
From Morgan Neville, Academy Award-winning filmmaker of ‘20 Feet From Stardom‘ and ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?‘, comes ‘Lorne’, an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the man who built the inimitable empire of comedy, shaping television and culture for generations. The documentary features exclusive footage, archival treasures, and candid interviews with the show’s most iconic cast members and writers including Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, John Mulaney, Andy Samberg, Conan O’Brien, Chris Rock and many more.
Bob Odenkirk in ‘Normal’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
In the aftermath of a bank robbery, interim sheriff Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk) uncovers a criminal conspiracy at the heart of his small-town Minnesota community.
The young daughter of a journalist disappears into the desert without a trace—eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.
(L to R) Michaela Coel and Anne Hathaway in ‘Mother Mary’. Photo: A24.
Long-buried wounds rise to the surface when iconic pop star Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer Sam Anselm on the eve of her comeback performance.
Jaafar Jackson as Michael Jackson in ‘Michael’. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson.
The story of Michael Jackson’s (Jaafar Jackson) life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fueled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world.
A woman (Charlize Theron) testing her limits in the Australian wilderness is suddenly ensnared in a deadly game with a ruthless predator. ‘APEX’ debuts on Netflix April 24th.
Pixar has had a rough go of it for a few years, with the legendary Disney-owned animation studio not only still suffering from the box office aftermath of COVID but also dealing with some quality control issues. Yet the new Pixar original feature, ‘Hoppers,’ feels like the most fun the studio has had in a long time.
Dizzyingly paced (sometimes too much so), full of heart and warmth, often laugh-out-loud funny, and gorgeous to look at, ‘Hoppers’ doesn’t always work and is a little too long and frenetic, but it’s still a joyful entry from this fabled company and a visual treat. It feels in a way like Pixar getting a little weirder and crazier, but still retaining its signature style.
Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda) is a 19-year-old animal lover who is constantly getting in trouble for freeing animals from her college, Beaverton University. She’s also trying to get signatures on a petition to stop the construction of a new freeway spearheaded by Beaverton mayor Jerry Generazzo. The final portion of the beltway is slated to plow right through a serene, peaceful, wildlife-filled glade and pond where Mabel has gone for years – until recently with her late grandmother – to find calm and tranquility as the world fills her with rage and despair.
When Mabel learns that her college professor (Kathy Najimy) has created a technology that allows human minds to ‘hop’ into robotic animals, she seizes the opportunity by hopping into a robot beaver and heading for the glade, where she is able to communicate with the other animals – including the well-meaning but naïve beaver ruler, King George (Bobby Moynihan) and rally them to fight back against the mayor and his plan. But even as Mabel and George learn to trust each other, other species of animals are plotting a far more ruthless way to deal with the human threat to their habitat.
‘Hoppers’ packs a lot into its 105-minute runtime – almost too much at some points. Its moments of quiet reflection and beauty (most of them in flashbacks to Mabel and her grandmother sitting in the glade) are often left in the dust by the frenetic, busy-busy style of modern animation that seemingly dominates even a stylistic giant like Pixar. But much of it is also quite hilarious as well – particularly in Mabel’s interactions with the other animals and the dynamics between the various species – and that hectic pace also helps the film move along at a steady clip that rarely drags.
It’s also, in the end, quite poignant. There is an obvious environmental message here, but more importantly, there is a running theme of intelligent, empathetic beings of all kinds – whether they’re humans or animals – learning to have faith in and cooperate with each other, even if their goals are vastly different at first. Mayor Jerry is not necessarily the bad guy here (although to be sure, there is also a megalomaniacal villain who amounts to little more than a brat throwing a major tantrum), anymore than Mabel is a perfect heroine. Seeing things through other’s eyes, suggests ‘Hoppers,’ allows us to better understand each other and find ways to work together.
All this is set amidst top-shelf Pixar designs and animation, which bring the animals (real and robotic), the humans, and the setting to three-dimensional, textured, wonderfully detailed life. Yes, the film can be overstuffed (particularly during the third act, which throws a lot at the viewer), but this is a world that viewers of all ages will enjoy spending time in.
Director Daniel Chong balances lesser-known voices and comedic actors here with the presence of luminaries like Meryl Streep and Jon Hamm. Streep’s work amounts to not much more than an extended cameo, while Hamm does his slick best as the ambitious yet not entirely heartless mayor of Beaverton. Also notable are Dave Franco as Titus, the future (and bad-tempered) Insect King, and Kathy Najimy as the kindly Dr. Sam.
Yet it’s Piper Curda and Bobby Moynihan who carry most of the film as Mabel and King George, respectively, and their voices display charisma, comic timing, and plenty of warmth. As a character, Mabel is perhaps unevenly drawn (no pun intended), not quite negotiating her traits of compassion and anger, but Curda still gives her personality, energy and empathy. Moynihan does the same with George, as the beaver evolves from somewhat of a guileless figurehead into a staunch, courageous defender of his world.
As ‘Hoppers’ races toward its conclusion, there’s that sense we mentioned that the filmmakers are throwing everything they can think of into the story – almost losing control of it in the process. But luckily it all comes together in an ending that’s sweet, relevant, and important. And what comes in the previous 95 minutes or so offers a lot to relish as well.
Most importantly, ‘Hoppers’ shows that Pixar itself is still capable of generating new, original animated stories – especially in an era where corporations like Disney are more and more reliant on revisiting proven IP (Pixar’s next release, after all, is ‘Toy Story 5’). Whatever its flaws, ‘Hoppers’ is wildly imaginative, emotionally rich, and thematically powerful – and we’re glad that Pixar can still deliver that.
Animal lover Mabel uses a new technology to ‘hop’ her consciousness into a life-like robotic beaver and communicate directly with animals. Once in the animal world, Mabel rallies species of all kinds to face smooth-talking local mayor Jerry Generazzo, whose planned freeway may destroy their habitat.
