Super Mario Galaxy Movie Breaks Box Office Records – Intermediate – EN
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie raced out of the gate with a huge $34 million on Wednesday in the United States and Canada. That gave it the best opening day of 2026 and the biggest opening Wednesday ever seen in April. What makes the number even more striking is that it was reached without preview screenings adding to the total.
The earlier Super Mario Bros. Movie opened in Easter week of 2023 and went on to collect $146.3 million in three days and $204.6 million in five days. Universal believes the new sequel may reach about $128.2 million over three days and $186 million over five days. Even if that result ends below the first film, it would still be a major success by modern box office standards.
Viewers are responding well so far. The Rotten Tomatoes audience score is 91%, although that is a little below the 95% earned by the 2023 movie. Critics are much less impressed, giving the new film 44%. Still, family audiences often make the biggest difference during holiday playtime, especially when schools are closed and moviegoing rises on Friday and Saturday.
If the forecast holds, the movie will have the biggest domestic opening of the year. It could also join Shrek, Toy Story, and Minions as one of the few animated franchises with two movies opening above $100 million in three days. That would show how powerful the Mario brand remains with audiences. It would also confirm that Nintendo’s characters still have unusual drawing power in theaters.
Vocabulary Words List
- out of the gate — right from the start
- opening day — the first day a movie plays in theaters
- opening Wednesday — the first Wednesday performance of a movie
- preview screenings — showings before the main release date
- total — the full amount
- earlier — happening before now
- collect — to earn or gather money
- three days — the first three days of release
- five days — the first five days of release
- sequel — a movie that continues an earlier film
- major success — a very strong result
- box office — movie ticket sales
- standards — usual levels used for comparison
- viewers — people watching the movie
- audience score — a rating from regular moviegoers
- critics — people who review films
- impressed — showing strong approval
- family audiences — groups of parents and children watching together
- holiday — a special day when many people are off work or school
- playtime — free time for fun activities
- moviegoing — the activity of going to the movies
- rises — goes up
- forecast — a prediction of what may happen
- holds — stays true
- domestic opening — ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada at release
- animated franchises — series of animated movies
- brand — a famous name connected to a product
- remains — continues to be
- audiences — groups of people watching
- powerful — strong and important
Fill In The Blanks Listening Practice
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie raced with a huge $34 million on Wednesday in the United States and Canada. That gave it the best of 2026 and the biggest ever seen in April. What makes the number even more striking is that it was reached without adding to the total.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie opened in Easter week of 2023 and went on to collect $146.3 million in three days and $204.6 million in . Universal believes the new may reach about $128.2 million over three days and $186 million over five days. Even if that result ends below the first film, it would still be a major success by modern standards.
Viewers are responding well so far. The Rotten Tomatoes is 91%, although that is a little below the 95% earned by the 2023 movie. Critics are much less impressed, giving the new film 44%. Still, often make the biggest difference during playtime, especially when schools are closed and rises on Friday and Saturday.
If the holds, the movie will have the biggest of the year. It could also join Shrek, Toy Story, and Minions as one of the few with two movies opening above $100 million in . That would show how powerful the Mario remains with audiences. It would also confirm that Nintendo’s characters still have unusual drawing power in theaters.
Vocabulary Retention Quiz
1. How much did The Super Mario Galaxy Movie earn on Wednesday in the U.S. and Canada?
2. Why is the $34 million opening especially notable?
3. What five-day opening does Universal expect for the sequel?
4. How do audience and critic reactions differ?
5. Which animated franchises are mentioned as comparisons?
Discussion Questions
Why do some movies perform strongly even when critics dislike them?
How important are holiday weekends to box office success?
What makes a movie franchise stay popular over time?
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