Nintendo and Illumination announced during a Jan. 25 Nintendo Direct presentation that "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" will now premiere on April 1, 2026, in the United States, moving up from its original April 3 release date.
The new release date applies to the US and many other major markets worldwide, including the United Kingdom and Europe. The film's Japanese release remains scheduled for April 24, 2026, with some territories receiving the movie throughout April. The date change means fans will be able to watch the highly anticipated animated sequel two days earlier than expected.
The announcement came alongside a new trailer that revealed the first official look at several beloved characters, including Yoshi, Birdo, Mouser, Lakitu, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi. The two-minute trailer showed Mario and Luigi arriving to investigate a "troubled pipe," giving audiences their first glimpse of these fan-favorite additions to the film, according to Eurogamer.
Illumination CEO and producer Chris Meledandri provided a production update during the Nintendo Direct, confirming that animation has been fully completed on the project. The movie is currently in post-production, with teams focusing on sound design and music. Composer Brian Tyler is working on the film's score, which will feature themes from the Super Mario Galaxy video games performed by a 70-piece orchestra.
The film follows the massive success of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," which premiered in April 2023 and earned over $1.36 billion worldwide. The original movie set the record for the biggest opening for an animated film and became the fifth highest-grossing animated movie of all time, Variety reported.
"The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" takes its name from Nintendo's popular 2007 Wii video game and will send Mario and Luigi on an adventure into outer space to face Bowser's son, Bowser Jr.. The film brings back returning cast members Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, and Kevin Michael Richardson.
New additions to the cast include Benny Safdie voicing Bowser Jr. and Brie Larson voicing Rosalina. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic return from the first film, along with screenwriter Matthew Fogel. The movie will be released in RealD 3D and IMAX formats in theaters worldwide, as per Game Rant.
Originally published on Enstarz
