Well, it has been a ramp-up towards Easter, and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has all the zest and colors one could fathom for the holiday weekend. That’s right, the toon earned $130.94 million over the Fri-Sun weekend, and has passed $190 million since its debut on Wednesday. And yeah, it has soared to $370 million globally, which is the biggest worldwide launch since Avatar: Fire and Ash. If we compare it to its predecessor, it dipped slightly, from a $146 million Fri-Sun weekend and a $205 million Wed-Sun weekend. Well, is it time to flock in about the video game being a fatigued franchise?

Hold the bullhorn; folks from the past and present enjoy the brothers and Peach on their journeys, so let’s say we might be more entangled with them than The LEGO Movie Part 2, Secret Life of Pets 2, and The Angry Birds Movie 2. I wouldn’t expect reviews to get much in the way, any more than one could say the second dance always comes at a cost of “not much changed this time around,” so even barring a 25-30% drop in total compared to its predecessor means it can still raise the green flag past $400 million domestic and probably $960 million worldwide (checks notes, yeah that’s on par with A Minecraft Movie!). It will probably even skirt into the $1 billion category due to A) being the sole kids/family-friendly film in town for the next patch of weeks and B) given Illumination’s track record with the family fun time of Despicable Me/Minions, it’s safe to say it will carry its weight like them. So, “it’s a-me, Mario!” might keep up the healthy ecosystem for time to come this season, and we’ll see how the demographics work for other titles on the way, including Michael, Devil Wears Prada 2, Mortal Kombat II, and then The Mandalorian and Grogu.

In other (great) news, Project Hail Mary earned $30.6 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic cume to $217.1 million. And if we combine the overseas numbers, it has passed $421 million worldwide. Yeah, it’s excellent business as the summer season wanes over us, and it will pass $550 million worldwide once it’s done (and Michael has taken some of its demographics and IMAX theaters away). And if you’re an optimistic writer like this one, it may even make out to $600 million worldwide like the recent F1, or aspirational movies a la The Martian and Lucy in the mid-2010s. Ryan Gosling will finally have a star vehicle he can rely on once he pushes through, and maybe it’s another sign that the sci-fi for going to space was never dying in the first place.

Newcomer The Drama earned $14.38 million in its debut, the third-biggest domestic opening for A24, behind Marty Supreme and Civil War. Hmm, now where did we see a debut like that two years ago? It might be emblematic of a growing possibility: much like Sydney Sweeney, Zendaya might also be a draw. Even if we don’t factor in the MCU Spider-Man quadrilogy and Dune trilogy, she still kicked butt with Smalfoot and The Greatest Showman, and is rocking folks around with the upcoming season three of Euphoria. There have been (and still will be) times when actors/actresses, rather than marquee characters/IP properties, carry the weight of a film delivering on its promise. Gerard Butler and Jason Statham spring to mind as household names (you can get your Plane next to The Beekeeper). So, anyway, A24 might be the new home of youth-skewing, romantic dramas and rom-coms (or originals to pique the audience’s interest for the next ride to the multiplex).

Hoppers is days away from passing Elemental‘s domestic cume, and will probably finish its run around $375 million worldwide. No, that’s not a blowout success for Pixar, but it’s a return to “potential” form for the next originals to dawn and melt hearts. Reminders of Him passed $80 million globally, A Great Awakening opened with $2.113 million, and They Will Kill You has passed $15 million worldwide. GOAT has passed $185 million worldwide, while Scream 7 has passed $209 million globally. Oh, and Dhurandhar: The Revenge will be passing $100 million worldwide shortly.

Next weekend sees the release of You, Me, & Tuscany, Outcome, Thrash (on Netflix), Faces of Death, The Christophers, Beast, Newborn, and The Yeti.