Universal’s animated sequel “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” remained No. 1 at the domestic box office, collecting $69 million from 4,284 North American theaters in its second weekend of release. Those ticket sales mark a 48% decline from its debut, a strong hold for a blockbuster of this scale.
So far, the video game adaptation has grossed $308 million domestically and $629 million globally. After just 12 days in theaters, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is already the highest-grossing movie of the year ahead of “Project Hail Mary.”
“Mario” didn’t have much competition over the weekend in terms of family audiences. This weekend’s major new release, the Universal romantic comedy “You, Me and Tuscany,” appealed to young women, while holdovers “Project Hail Mary” and “The Drama” catered to older adults. Given the range of genres, it was another promising weekend at the domestic box office. This momentum comes as theater owners are heading to Las Vegas on Monday for CinemaCon, the industry’s annual trade show where studios pitch their upcoming slates. Hollywood and exhibitors alike are arriving in good spirits because people are actually going to theaters. It’s a change of pace from post-pandemic years, where cinemas were barren for much of the first quarter, and business didn’t pick up until closer to May. Attendance in April should remain strong with director Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy” reboot (April 17) and Lionsgate’s “Michael” biopic (April 24) on schedule.
“We want to see the box office back at pre-pandemic levels, and April should come close,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. He noted the month is just 6% below the pre-pandemic average. “Overall, the current trend at the box office is positive.”
“You, Me and Tuscany” opened in fourth place with $8 million from 3,151 theaters. The movie also earned $1.1 million at the international box office for a global start of $9.1 million. It cost just $18 million to produce. Audiences embraced the film, which earned an “A-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. Opening weekend crowds were 80% female, while 53% were between 18 and 34 years old. Directed by Kat Coiro, the love story stars Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page as strangers who experience a meet-cute at an abandoned Tuscan villa.
“Project Hail Mary” remained a box office force in second place with $24.5 million in its fourth outing, a mere 21% decline from the prior weekend. So far, the space epic starring Ryan Gosling has generated a mighty $256.6 million in North America and $510 million worldwide. The $200 million-budgeted tentpole has become a major hit for Amazon MGM at a pivotal time for the studio. For the first time since Amazon acquired MGM in 2022, the company is unveiling a full theatrical slate in 2026.
Third place went to A24’s dark comedy “The Drama,” which earned $8.7 million from 3,817 screens in its second weekend of release, dropping only 38% from its debut. The R-rated film, starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, has grossed $30 million domestically and $65 million worldwide. It cost less than $28 million to produce. “The Drama” is turning into a word-of-mouth hit by inspiring plenty of conversation over the film’s central premise: the movie revolves around a couple whose relationship is tested after they reveal the worst thing they’ve ever done.
Pixar’s “Hoppers” rounded out the top five with $4.1 million in its sixth frame. The kid-friendly film is winding down with $157.1 million domestically and $354.4 million globally to date. Although “Hoppers” was hailed as a return to form for Pixar (the animation empire has struggled to launch an original hit), the movie ran out of steam faster than expected; “Hoppers” might only barely break even in its theatrical run against its $150 million budget. However, Disney expects the creature feature to draw audiences on Disney+ and sell plenty of toys inspired by the cute animals in the movie.
