Super Mario Galaxy Movie Tops The Dark Knight at the Box Office

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie became the first film of 2026 to surpass $1 billion worldwide, reaching $1.007 billion and eclipsing Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, which finished its run at $1.003 billion. After the disastrous 1993 adaptation, studios avoided reviving the characters until mid-2010s talks led Nintendo to partner with Universal and Illumination.

Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, creators of Teen Titans Go!, helped revive the franchise with 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and a sequel was all but inevitable. The Galaxy sequel brought back familiar faces, introduced new characters, and drew inspiration from celebrated entries in the games, prompting audiences to return to theaters.

Box Office Mojo shows it remains 2026's highest-grossing movie as releases like Toy Story 5 and Avengers: Doomsday prepare to challenge it.

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