For the third straight weekend since its massive debut, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” has held on to the top spot at the box office.
Nothing has been able to dethrone the animated hit. A barrage of poor critical reviews (“rock-stupid,” “flat empty nothingness,” “torturous to sit through”) didn’t slow ticket sales. Neither have newer releases — “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy,” “Busboys” and “You, Me and Tuscany” — which all lag behind at the box office.
Only three weeks after its release, the “Mario” sequel is already the highest-grossing film of the year, with over $355 million in ticket sales. Trailing behind are “Project Hail Mary” with $285 million and Pixar’s “Hoppers” with $161 million.
All three films share a common thread: They appeal to kids and families. The proof is in the pudding — if Hollywood wants to draw large audiences to theaters, it should produce films like “Project Hail Mary” that families can enjoy together.
Dear Hollywood, make movies with family appeal
Movie theater attendance plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic. While audiences have gradually returned to the big screen for new releases, annual domestic box-office sales remain roughly 20% below pre-pandemic levels, per ABC News.
According to a Pew Research Center study conducted in summer 2025, just over half (53%) of Americans say they attended a movie in theaters over the past year. Notably, 7% said they have never stepped foot inside a movie theater.
Hollywood is feeling the pressure as audience growth remains flat. Some industry heavyweights predict that going to the movies may eventually become a niche activity.
“We’re looking at a huge transition. First, documentaries disappeared from cinemas. Now, dramas only get finite time and people wait to see it on streamers,” Leonardo DiCaprio told The Times. “Do people still have the appetite? Or will cinemas become silos — like jazz bars?”
Timothée Chalamet echoed concerns about declining theater attendance, a sentiment that drew controversy.
“I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive,’ even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore,” he said of declining theater attendance.
The appetite for movies in theaters is still alive, but a bulk of the films available just aren’t appetizing to large audiences.
Ryan Gosling, the star of “Project Hail Mary,” said the film’s success reaffirmed that studios must earn audiences’ return to theaters with appealing films.
“Six years ago, I got the manuscript,” Gosling said, per Variety. “(It’s) the most ambitious thing I’ll ever make. ... Six years later, we did it. Here we are, we’re all back in theaters. It’s not your job to keep them open, it’s our job to make things that make it worth you coming out.”
In 2025, the three highest-grossing global films were “Zootopia 2” ($1.86 billion), “Lilo & Stitch” ($1.03 billion) and “A Minecraft Movie” ($958 million), all of them rated PG.
By contrast, of 2025’s best picture Oscar nominees, seven of the 10 films were rated R, limiting their family appeal. Only one — “Sinners” — managed to break into the year’s top 10 highest-grossing films.
The gap highlights a broader trend in the industry — family-friendly films have become a key driver in theatrical success, fueled largely by young moviegoers, who drag their parents and other chaperones with them to kid-friendly showings.
A report from the National Report Group credits Gen Alpha, which consists of kids born between 2013 and 2025, with resuscitating the entertainment business after a decade plagued by the rapid spread of streaming platforms, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
“Kids and preteens,” the report concluded, “have been the driving force behind many of the biggest theatrical success stories of the past three years.”
But family-friendly films appeal to audiences of all ages. And just a quarter into 2026, the box office is already suggesting that movies designed for the whole family perform better. If Hollywood wants audiences back in theaters, it should take note.