Apr 05, 2026 11:21am IST
Ryan Gosling’s ‘Project Hail Mary’ Tops $200M as ‘Mario Galaxy’ Soars in Debut
The U.S. box office is being led by Ryan Gosling’s “Project Hail Mary” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” both of which are drawing strong audiences to theaters. The animated, video game-inspired film opened Wednesday, allowing both titles to benefit from the Easter holiday weekend.
According to Deadline, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” closed its traditional three-day opening weekend with an estimated $129.4 million at the domestic box office, bringing its five-day total to $188.5 million. However, those numbers fall short of its predecessor, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which debuted to $146.4 million over three days and $204.6 million across the five-day Easter frame in 2023.
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Meanwhile, “Project Hail Mary” is projected to earn $32.6 million over the three-day weekend. The film dipped 40 percent in its third frame, pushing its domestic total to $219.7 million.
The milestone makes the space drama the first film of 2026 to cross the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. While “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” could eventually surpass that figure, “Project Hail Mary” remains, for now, the highest-grossing domestic release of the year.
Combined, the two films are expected to generate $162 million over the three-day weekend, making this Easter frame the highest-grossing weekend of the year at the domestic box office so far. The previous record-holder was also “Project Hail Mary,” when it debuted on March 20.
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