The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has taught a major lesson about the potential of one often underappreciated corner of the world of theater. Given The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed over $1 billion at the box office when it released in 2023, it’s perhaps no surprise that the film’s sequel ultimately also fared reasonably well at the box office, even if it didn’t quite parallel the original’s fiscal results.
That said, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie still quickly became one of 2026’s biggest films in terms of its box office, with its financial success serving as prime evidence of the capacity that animated movies have to engage with and entertain audiences. This concept makes sense given their natural visual appeal, but is one that is often painfully overlooked by those who regard animated films as somehow lesser compared to their live-action counterparts.
Interestingly enough, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is just one of the 2026 animated movies that have already made major box office moves, highlighting the lesson that the year can teach us about the potential of this medium on-screen overall – and suggesting many similar movies that are on the horizon may also be about to celebrate their own box office victories.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Is Currently 2026’s Second-Highest Grossing Movie
Luigi Mario Yoshi and Princess Peach flying through space in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie© Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
As of April 2026, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie resides as 2026’s second highest-grossing film to date, thanks to its $631 million box office (as per Box Office Mojo), which has thus far only been bested by Chinese sports comedy movie Pegasus 3.
Given 2026 has already featured a wide range of major movie releases during this time, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s box office results are certainly notable, and position the film as being one most other movies will hope to match up with in the months to come after this first fourth of the year.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s success underlines the potential of an often looked category in the world of film – namely, that of animated movies. Due to theatrically released animated films often being aimed at or looking to appeal to younger audiences, they can often be regarded as “lesser” art compared to releases that explore more mature themes, though there is clear value in animated movies both fiscally and in terms of their broader artistic potential.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s box office is evidence that animated films can still to this day have serious theatrical results, and be big event movies that draw audiences to the cinema in a major way. Similarly, even if the Mario sequel has received lower review scores from critics, its reception with general audiences seems to still be decidedly strong, with its 89% audience score versus its 43% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes serving as a solid example of just this.
Three Of 2026’s Current Top 10 Grossing Movies Are Animated Movies
King George and Mabel As Beavers In The Backseat Of A Car In Hoppers
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is by no means the only animated movie released in 2026 to have fared well within the year. Indeed, 2026 has thus far had a wealth of examples of the potential animated films hold as both works of art and as money-making releases that see audiences flock to watch them in cinemas.
Currently, 2026’s top 10 highest-grossing movies feature three animated films, which naturally includes The Super Mario Galaxy Movie given its spot as 2026’s second highest-grossing film thus far. After that, the sci-fi comedy Hoppers is 2026’s fourth highest-grossing movie so far, and animated sports movie Goat is currently 2026’s tenth highest-grossing movie as well.
Altogether, this means animated films have a prominent place in 2026’s biggest hits to date, which bodes well for future animated endeavors, and shows just how varied these offerings can be – since though these films share a medium of sorts, they are respectively a video game adaptation, a story about a machine that can swap people into robotic animal bodies, and a film about an anthropomorphic basketball team, which are pretty drastically different narratives overall.