The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Just Hit Peacock — Inside the $1 Billion Run and Nintendo's Big Plan

Mario Is Back — and He Brought a Galaxy With Him

Ready for round two of the Mushroom Kingdom's big-screen takeover? The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has officially made its streaming debut on Peacock, and it's bringing roughly $1 billion worth of box-office momentum with it. The sequel to 2023's record-breaking The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been named Hollywood's highest-grossing release of 2026 so far — and now you can judge the hype from your couch.

From Illumination and Nintendo, the same team behind the first film, this one trades Brooklyn for the cosmos. Mario and his crew blast off to stop Bowser and Bowser Jr. from kidnapping Princess Rosalina and draining her cosmic powers to build a doomsday weapon. Yes, it's exactly as chaotic as it sounds — and exactly as colorful as you'd hope from the studio that brought you Despicable Me.

Why it's more polarizing (and more interesting) than the first

The original was basically critic-proof — it made $1.36 billion worldwide despite lukewarm reviews, powered almost entirely by pure Nintendo nostalgia. The Galaxy sequel is a different beast: it's weirder, leans harder into deep-cut lore, and isn't afraid to get emotional. Some fans love the ambition; others miss the simpler platforming energy of the first film. Either way, you can't argue with the receipts — a billion dollars is a billion dollars, and audiences clearly showed up in numbers most franchises can only dream of.

Expect Easter eggs everywhere. This is a multiverse-esque sequel that name-drops and nods to corners of Nintendo history casual fans won't even catch on the first viewing. It's clearly built as a launching pad for a full shared Nintendo cinematic universe — don't be shocked when a Donkey Kong or Zelda movie gets announced in the next couple of years. The post-credits scene alone is reportedly setting up a major spinoff.

Should you stream it this weekend?

If you've got kids (or you're just young at heart), this is a perfect 90-minute watch on Peacock. If you're a Nintendo nerd, you'll have a blast spotting every reference. And if you're a skeptic? At least give it a shot — a movie doesn't hit a billion dollars by accident. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is streaming now, and honestly, it's the closest thing to a theme park ride you can get without leaving your living room. Just make sure you've got the volume up — the score alone is worth it.