The reviews aren’t great, but fans don’t seem to care. “The Super Mario Galaxy” movie set a record for the biggest opening on a Wednesday in April, with $34.5 million yesterday. That’s also the single biggest day for a movie so far this year, besting “Project Hail Mary’s” $33 million Friday on March 20th, and that day included Tuesday previews. “Galaxy’s” tally does not. Overseas, “Mario Galaxy” pulled in another $33.9 million for a $68.4 million global launch.
READ MORE: “Super Mario Galaxy” Review: All Power-Ups, No Progression In Nintendo’s Empty Franchise Machine
The $34 million is also bigger than the opening day of its predecessor, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which opened to $31 million on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. That blockbuster pulled in $204.6 million over the five-day Easter weekend. Right now, Universal Studios and exhibitors are conservatively estimating $185 million over this year’s extended Easer frame. The question is whether the fanbase will frontload the grosses or if casuals will help pump it up past $200 million.
Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, the sequel introduces new characters such as Princess Rosalina (voiced by Brie Larson), Yoshi (Donald Glover), Bowser, Jr. (Benny Safdie), and from the sister Nintendo game “Star Fox,” Fox McCloud (Glenn Powell). They appear alongside returning mainstays Mario (Chris Pratt), Luigi (Charlie Day), Bowser (Jack Black), and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). The original movie wasn’t necessarily a critic’s favorite (46 grade on Metacritic, 59% on Rotten Tomatoes), but we’re not sure Nintendo or Universal were thrilled with the reaction this time around (37 grade on Metacritic, 43% Rotten on RT). That being said, the original did earn an A CinemaScore, and the sequel has already earned an A-. Not bad.
It should be a very potent weekend overall with “Project Hail Mary,” which earned $4.3 million on Wednesday, expected to pull in at least another $30 million, and A24’s“The Drama,” starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, tracking at a $10-14 million debut.
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