“Super Mario Galaxy Movie” delivers holiday weekend records for theater chains

Universal’s “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” cleared an estimated $372.5 million globally in its opening five-day weekend, marking another successful foray into theaters for Nintendo.

Both AMC and Cinemark on Monday announced that the movie — along with continued popularity for titles like “Project Hail Mary” and “Hoppers” — propelled them to record-breaking Easter weekends.

According to AMC, the Yoshi popcorn bucket has pushed “Mario Galaxy” into the second-best merchandising program ever for the theater chain, behind only Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert film. According to Cinemark, Mario-themed “glitter popcorn” and other food items tied to the title have already resulted in the “most successful merchandise program Cinemark has ever delivered for a single title.”

AMC and Cinemark shares climbed in early trading on Monday.

“Mario Galaxy” pulled in $190.1 million domestically over the five-day weekend, below the first film’s $204 million (it was also released over the Easter weekend in 2023), but still near the top of the best holiday box office performances ever.