'Super Mario Galaxy Movie' and 'Project Hail Mary' Combine for Best Box Office in 7 Years

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie "is officially the year's highest-grossing film to date with $629 million at the global box office," reports Variety — and it will likely earn over $1 billion. Project Hail Mary now becomes the year's second highest-grossing movie, with four-week ticket sales over $510, notes The Hollywood Reporter: The two films have helped propel year-to-date revenue to $2.113 billion — the best showing for the first part of the year since before the pandemic in 2019 ($2.619 billion), according to Comscore. And revenue is running 25% ahead of the same corridor last year.
Some context from ScreenRant: Even though The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reviews were largely negative, earning it a disappointing 43% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences gave it a far superior score of 89% from audiences, making it Verified Hot on the platform's Popcornmeter. This indicates that the movie should continue to climb up the global box office chart thanks to strong word of mouth, even as it trails consistently behind the original 2023 movie in terms of commercial performance.
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen called Project Hail Mary "an inspirational example.. We all thought that movie was really uplifting and inspiring." Before the Artemis astronauts launched their mission, Space.com points out "they were treated to a viewing of Amazon MGM Studios' Project Hail Maryto bolster their spirits ahead of their monumental 10-day lunar voyage. " Marking the occasion and providing encouraging words to the three American astronauts and one Canadian astronaut, Ryan Gosling recorded a brief encouraging video for the moon-bound foursome.
Today NPR took a spoiler-filled look at the science in the film, asking: Would it be possible for humans to travel to a place as far away as the Tau Ceti star system? It's not possible right now, says Lisa Carnell, division director for NASA'S Biological and Physical Sciences Division. "I don't think we are fully prepared to send humans to Mars, let alone light years away," she says. Given the leaps in technology that humanity has made in just the past century, however, she didn't want to rule it out.... "I believe it's possible [one day]"...

The hypothetical study of how humans and extraterrestrials might communicate is a real scientific field, called xenolinguistics, that includes researchers from linguistics, animal communication, and anthropology. Martin Hilpert, a professor of linguistics at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, says the film "gets a lot of things right" for how such an encounter might occur, though it also employs a lot of "happy coincidences" too.

Claw Machine in Lobby All Goombahs

[Pseudonymous Powers]

I guess it sort of makes sense that the new Super Mario movie and the Andy Weir movie are doing well in the theaters, as they are the only two movies I have even heard of BEING in the theaters in like the last couple of years. Are any other movies even showing right now?

Re:Claw Machine in Lobby All Goombahs

[algaeman]

Melania is still showing in empty theaters worldwide

Re:

[fahrbot-bot]

I guess it sort of makes sense that the new Super Mario movie and the Andy Weir movie are doing well in the theaters, as they are the only two movies I have even heard of BEING in the theaters in like the last couple of years. Are any other movies even showing right now?

I'm betting someone is pitching cross-over sequels right now. :-)

Super Project Hail Mario Galaxy Movie

[stx23]

There should have been some catchy portmanteau thing going on to attract the public.

Bust

[j.a.mcguire]

Went to see Hail Mary on opening night expecting another smash hit from Andy Weir. Sorely disappointed. It's a childrens movie.

Expectations

[bartoku]

I am really curious what set your expectations so high?
I did not know who Andy Weir was, or that he wrote the Martian until just now; but I would say that lines up and Ryan beat Matt for me.
I enjoyed Martian, but did not realize it was consider a smash hit?

From the Hail Mary trailer, it looked like a pretty simple boring story that would need Ryan Gosling to carry it; so I was not expecting much and had not planned on watching the movie.
It was an interview on NPR about Rocky being a puppet that intrigued me enough to check it out.
As a result my expectations were met, if not exceeded; I enjoyed the movie for what it was.
However the funniest part was 30 minutes in when my wife asked me: "you like this movie?" then proceeded to fall asleep; I am not sure if she saw or enjoyed the Martian.

Hail Mary does seem to be a family friendly movie as you asserted; a bit light hearted compared to the more dramatic Martian.

Re:

[LionKimbro]

My take was: "Buddy movie in space."

It was fine.

Re: Bust

[zawarski]

The movie should have ended with the aliens conquering earth, enslaving the human race and making them wish they would have just let the sun go out.

Re:

[TwistedGreen]

It was pretty vapid, but that's what people like: feel-good pablum with a veil of "science." Andy Weir writes stuff that's one step above YA fiction. What did you expect?

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

I dunno, Weir's science isn't the hardest, but it's certainly well above stuff like Star Trek.

I can't immediately think of anything mainstream that goes harder on the science.

Re:

[ConceptJunkie]

> well above stuff like Star Trek.

In 2026, "Blue's Clues" would be above Star Trek in terms of science.

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

Has Trek ever done hard sci fi?

Re:

[ConceptJunkie]

I have a lot of criticisms of the movie, but it was fun. It was funny. It was entertaining. And because of that, I can give it a pass.

Inspirational?

[localroger]

Wait a minute, they showed the Artemis crew a story about a guy who is drugged and kidnapped by his space agency and wakes up 11 light-years from home with the rest of his crew dead to bolster their spirits?