The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — Nintendo, Illumination, and Universal Pictures‘ sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie —  opened at #1 at the Japanese box office. The film sold 1.121 million tickets and earned 1,601,093,600 yen (about US$9.96 million) in its first three days.

The film opened in the United States and the United Kingdom on April 1, in other select territories on April 3, and in Japan on April 24.

Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and Nintendo representative director and fellow Shigeru Miyamoto again produced Illumination and Universal Pictures‘ new film. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and screenwriter Matthew Fogel returned from the previous film for the new project. Brian Tyler returned to compose the soundtrack.

Brie Larson (Captain Marvel, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off) joined the film’s cast as Rosalina, while Benny Safdie (Oppenheimer, director/writer of Uncut Gems) played Bowser Jr. Donald Glover voiced Yoshi. Issa Rae joined the cast as Honey Queen, and Luis Guzmán played Wart. Glen Powell joined the film’s cast as Fox McCloud from Starfox. Returning cast members include Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie opened in the U.S. and in over 60 markets worldwide on April 5, 2023. The film earned an estimated US$190,053,455 in its first five days in North America to open at #1. It earned an estimated US$372.5 million worldwide in its first five days. The film crossed a cumulative total of an estimated US$628,765,135 worldwide after its second weekend. It became the second biggest film worldwide so far this year, coming in behind the Chinese film Pegasus 3. 

Deadline puts the movie’s estimated US$377,628,865 opening worldwide as the highest-earning all-time worldwide opening for an animated film, beating Frozen II. (Frozen II opened over a regular three-day frame, as opposed to The Super Mario Bros. Movie‘s five-day frame.) The film is also the highest-earning video game adaptation in history.

The Super Mario franchise‘s first-week earnings for both films make it the only animated franchise to have two films open with US$350 million worldwide, and joins Shrek, Toy Story, and Minions as the only animated franchises to have two films open to more than US$100 million for three days in North America. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie also has the highest worldwide and North American openings for a 2026 film so far, and has the fifth highest worldwide opening earnings for an animated film ever. 

The film’s other milestones include the second highest worldwide opening for Illumination, the second highest worldwide opening for a film based on a video game (both next to the original The Super Mario Bros. Movie), the fifth highest worldwide opening for Universal Pictures, the fourth highest five day opening in North America (and the highest since Moana 2), the fourth highest Easter weekend earnings in North America, and the third highest weekend opening in North America for a film based on a video game, among others.

Detective Conan: Highway no Datenshi (Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway), the Detective Conan franchise‘s 29th film, dropped from #1 to #2 in its third weekend. The film sold 674,000 tickets and earned 1,001,544,900 yen (about US$6.23 million) from Friday to Sunday. The film has sold a total of 5.33 million tickets and has earned a cumulative total of 7,986,490,200 yen (about US$49.70 million)

The film sold 2,318,009 tickets and earned 3,502,137,800 yen (about US$21.9 million) in its first three days, making a new opening-weekend record for the franchise, and debuting at #1 at the Japanese box office.

The new film centers on the character Chihaya Hagiwara, member of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police and the leader of its motorcycle division. Miyuki Sawashiro now voices the character, replacing the late Atsuko Tanaka. The movie also features Kanagawa inspector Jugo Yokomizo, teenage detective Masumi Sera, Chihaya’s late younger brother Kenji Hagiwara, and Kenji’s Police Academy classmate Jinpei Matsuda.

Takahiro Hasui (Detective Conan: The Black Iron Submarine) directed the film, and Takahiro Ōkura (Detective Conan: The Crimson Love Letter) wrote the script. Yūgo Kanno (Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback) composed the music for the film. Misia performs the theme song “Last Danced Anata to” (Last Dance With You).

Sound! Euphonium, The Final Movie Part 1 (Saishū Gakushō Hibike! Euphonium Zenpen) opened on Friday
in 201 theaters across Japan at #4. The film sold 77,000 tickets and earned 125,819,900 yen (about US$783,000) in its first three days.

 The film includes a newly animated performance scene from the “Sunrise Festival,” the annual in-story marching band event. Additionally, the film features a new scene of Kumiko Oumae as she “takes on the great responsibility of becoming club president.”

TRUE performs the theme song “ToCoda.” TRUE has performed theme songs for the three previous seasons of the anime as well as Sound! Euphonium The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day and Sound! Euphonium: Ensemble Contest Arc.

Taichi Ogawa is directing the anime, and Tatsuya Ishihara is the chief director. Jukki Hanada is in charge of the script and series composition. Character designers include Shoko Ikeda and Kazumi Ikeda, and Kazumi Ikeda is also the chief animation director. Akito Matsuda is composing the music at Lantis and Heart Company, with music cooperation by Senzoku Gakuen College of Music.

Shingo Yamashita‘s Cosmic Princess Kaguya! (Chō Kaguya-hime!) anime film stayed at #5 in its 10th weekend after the film’s limited one-week theatrical screening run in Japan was extended. The film earned 81,339,200 yen (about US$506,100) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 2,161,559,500 yen (about US$13.45 million).

The film’s limited theatrical run started on February 20. Tickets quickly sold out, with some theaters having to increase the number of screenings to more than 10 times a day. The film earned a total of 223,485,400 yen (about US$1.43 million) in Japanese theaters in its first three days after its run was extended.

Netflix began streaming the film on January 22.

Yamashita (Pokémon: Twilight Wings, opening animation for Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, 2022 Urusei Yatsura) made his feature-length directorial debut with the film in a collaboration between his Studio Chromato and Studio Colorido. Hechima (The Idolmaster Gakuen) and Akihiro Nagae (Drifting Home) designed the characters, with the former in charge of the Tsukuyomi designs and the latter handling the real-world character designs.

The film features songs by Vocaloid producers Ryo (supercell), kz (Livetune), 40mP, HoneyWorks, Aqu3ra, and yuigot.

The 2026 Doraemon film, Eiga Doraemon: Shin Nobita no Kaitei Kiganjō (Doraemon the Movie: New Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil), dropped from #4 to #6 in its ninth weekend. The film earned 37,216,400 yen (about US$231,600) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 4,066,334,250 yen (about US$25.30 million).

The film opened on February 27 and ranked at #1 in its first weekend. The film sold 621,000 tickets and earned 779,681,350 yen (about US$4.96 million) in its first three days. The film ranked at #1 for six straight weekends.

The 45th 2D anime film (not counting the 3D CG Stand By Me Doraemon films) remakes the classic 1983 film Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil.

Tetsuo Yajima (Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle, Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us, Pokémon XY) returns after directing episodes of the Doraemon television anime and contributing in other capacities to Doraemon the Movie: Nobita’s New Great Adventure into the Underworld, Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Steel Troops: The New Age, and Eiga Doraemon: Nobita no Chikyū Symphony. Another veteran of the television anime, Isao Murayama (Witchy Precure!, Star Twinkle Precure, Bakugan), wrote the new film’s screenplay.

The live-action film based on Kureha‘s The Ogre’s Bride (Oni no Hanayome) light novel series dropped off the top 10 in its fifth weekend.

Golden Kamuy: Abashiri Kangoku Shūgeki-hen (Golden Kamuy: Attack on Abashiri Prison Arc), the second live-action film based on Satoru Noda‘s Golden Kamuy manga, dropped off the list in its seventh weekend. The film still earned 21,951,100 yen (about US$136,600) from Friday to Sunday, and has earned a cumulative total of 1,429,631,600 yen (about US$8.89 million).

Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe (Kidō Senshi Gundam: Senkō no Hathaway – Circe no Majo), the second film of the Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway (Kidō Senshi Gundam Senkō no Hathaway) anime project, has sold 1.59 million tickets to earn  2.7 billion yen in its 14th week at the box office.

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin (link 2), Anime Anime, comScore via KOFIC