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Summary
The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2will attempt to cash in on the original film’s massive success, but it will have a hard time repeating its predecessor’s box office triumph due to two major rivals.
Althoughthe Super Mario franchise is one of the most iconic gaming series of all time, it was hard to anticipate its cinematic adaptation becoming one of the most profitable movies of the 2020s, yetThe Super Mario Bros. Moviesurpassed all expectations.
The animated hit became one of the fewmovies to achieve a $1 billion box office since 2020, earning $1.3 billion.
Considering the franchise’s only other theatrical release was a box office bomb from the 1990s, Mario’s animated adventure proved the gaming series can be a big screen success under the right circumstances.
However, although the next installment has plenty of potential to be just as good and could even provide another financial win for Illumination, it faces some serious competition.
Both Pixar and DreamWorks have massive sequels releasing alongsideThe Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, which means it may struggle to beatInside Out 2’s impressive box office recordand could fall short of its previous achievements.
While there is now a release date confirmed for The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, the fact that it’s still a while off could hurt the franchise.
Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 Releases The Same Year As Toy Story 5 & Shrek 5
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Sequel Has Some Serious Competition In 2026
AlthoughThe Super Mario Bros. Moviefell just short of becoming the highest-grossing animated film ever,Inside Out 2’s new record isn’t unbeatable, but the sequel will have to contend withToy Story 5andShrek 5in 2026.Toy Storyhas been a constant box office draw for Pixar since the first movie came out in 1995, and the animated franchise’s fifth outing will undoubtedly capture a big audience.
While plenty of viewers might choose to watch both, some may prioritizeToy Story 5overMario 2since it has a much greater cinematic legacy.
In addition, theconfirmation thatShrek 5is finally happeningmeans the franchise will break a 16-year slumber when it returns to theaters.
Although the series continued through thePuss in Bootsspinoff, there hasn’t been a mainShrekfilm since 2010, which suggests the comeback movie will be a huge deal.The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2does have the advantage of releasing two months ahead of its competitors, but its theatrical run may be cut short sinceToy Story 5andShrek 5will steal the spotlight, making it more difficult to repeat the original film’s success.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 will officially be released onApril 3, 2026, with Toy Story 5 being released onJune 19, 2026, and Shrek 5 coming out onJuly 1, 2026.
The Original Super Mario Bros. Movie Released During A Pixar Lull
Elemental Was Pixar’s Only Theatrical Release In 2023
The increased competition could be even more of a problem for the Mario sequel, considering the first movie released at a time when Pixar wasn’t particularly strong.
Pixar has released some of the best and most profitable animated movies of the 21st century, but heading into 2023, the studio was on a bit of a cold streak.
While COVID-19 certainly played a factor,Pixar hadn’t had a box office hit since 2019’sToy Story 4beforeElementalcame along, and the 2023 movie had a disappointing first few weeks before finally finding redemption and making a profit.
Pixar Movies Since 2019
Budget
Box Office
Toy Story 4(2019)
$200 million
$1.073 billion
Onward(2020)
$175-200 million
$142 million
Soul(2020)
$150 million
$122 million
Luca(2021)
Unknown
$51.1 million
Turning Red(2022)
$175 million
$21.5 million
Lightyear(2022)
$226 million
Elemental(2023)
$496 million
Inside Out 2(2024)
$1.628 billion
These difficulties definitely made it a lot easier forThe Super Mario Bros. Movieto thrive, hence why it dominated the box office and became the second highest-grossing film of the year.
Some of2023’s best-animated moviesstill offered a bit of competition, likeSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but despite grossing an impressive $690 million,The Super Mario Bros. Moviemade nearly double that.
Things will be different in 2026 though, as both Pixar and DreamWorks are returning with arguably their biggest franchise, which means Illumination’s big project may face a much tougher box office.
Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 Already Needed To Overcome Its Sequel Challenge
The First Movie Had A Lot Of Key Qualities That The Sequel Will Struggle To Overcome
Despite how big the original film was,The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2already faced challenges outside increased competition.
Seeing a large-scale animated Mario movie for the first time was a huge selling point, but not everyone will have the intention of returning for the sequel, especially after the first outing already explored a lot of the franchise’s most interesting concepts.
It contained aMario Kartsegment, the use of power-ups, several iconic locations, and even aSmash Brossection when Mario fought Donkey Kong, all of which may have satisfied a large portion of the audience.
It’s hard to imagine Bowser being the central villain again, meaning the franchise’s main antagonist will have a minimal presence which will be hard to replace.
The inclusion of these classic Mario gimmicks is exactly what a lot of fans wanted, but after seeing them, there isn’t much appeal in a sequel.
Likewise, it’s hard to imagine Bowser being the central villain again, meaning the franchise’s main antagonist will have a minimal presence which will be hard to replace.
While there are still plenty of fun ideas and characters that the next installment could feature,The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2will have a much more challenging time trying to entice casual viewers, proving that the sequel could struggle to repeat its incredible box office performance.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 is the anticipated follow-up to the animated adventure, continuing the journey of Mario, Luigi, and their friends in the vibrant Mushroom Kingdom.
This sequel expands on the classic video game world, introducing new characters and challenges as the heroes face a formidable adversary.
