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‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ soars to the top spot at the box office

The box office hit a power-up this weekend, as “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” continued a healthy streak for family films in theaters.

The animated sequel from Universal Pictures, Nintendo and Illumination raced to $190 million in the U.S. and Canada in its five-day holiday weekend debut, placing it solidly in first place, according to studio estimates and Comscore data. That total was in line with expectations of a $186-million domestic opening.

Globally, the film earned $372.5 million, the largest opening so far in 2026.

The first film based on the video game franchise, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” made $146.4 million in its 2023 debut.

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which had a production budget of $110 million, continues the story of iconic Nintendo characters Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach as they journey to rescue Princess Rosalina.

Amazon MGM’s “Project Hail Mary” came in second at the box office with a domestic total of $30.7 million – pushing its total to $217 million. A24’s “The Drama ($14.4 million), Disney’s “Hoppers” ($5.8 million) and Universal’s “Reminders of Him ($2.2 million) rounded out the top five.

The success of “Mario” this weekend is another example of the power of family films at the box office.

Animated movies like Sony Pictures Animation’s “Goat” and Walt Disney Co. and Pixar’s “Hoppers” have performed well in theaters this year, along with the strong holdover performance of Disney’s 2025 hit “Zootopia 2,” which has now made more than $1.87 billion worldwide.

That’s all contributed to a stronger first quarter in the theatrical business, as this year’s revenue was up more than 20% compared with the same period in 2025. March was especially strong, with the massive haul from “Project Hail Mary.”

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$157 billion in: Global streaming revenue tripled since 2020

Global streaming revenue surged to $150 billion last year, driven largely by an increase in prices by Netflix and other streamers, according to a new report.

In 2025, global streaming subscription revenue grew by 14%, reaching a total of over $157 billion, the report from Ampere Analysis found. In the last five years, revenue has tripled from the $50 billion seen in 2020.

Streamers continue to dominate the digital distribution market with rising monthly subscription fees , more consumers choosing subscriptions with ads, and platforms expanding their global reach.

“As the streaming market matures, the emphasis is no longer on pure subscriber growth but on extracting greater value from existing audiences,” said Lauren Liversedge, a senior analyst at Ampere Analysis. She noted that the growth is happening “particularly in the most competitive markets.”

Over the next five years, Ampere Analysis estimates subscription revenue will grow by another 29%, potentially reaching over $200 billion worldwide by 2030.

The U.S. is the largest driver of this revenue growth, as the country accounts for 50% of 2025’s global streaming subscription revenue, per Ampere Analysis. Netflix accounted for the largest revenue share in the U.S. at 14%. Last week, the company also announced a price hike, where its premium tier costs $27 a month. This marks the second time in a little over a year that the streaming service raised its fees.

“Our approach remains the same: We continue offering a range of prices and plans to meet a variety of needs, and as we deliver more value to our members we are updating our prices to enable us to reinvest in quality entertainment and improve their experience by updating our prices,” said a Netflix spokesperson in a statement.

It’s not the only streaming service to increase its prices, as Disney+, HBO Max and Apple TV made similar moves last year.

Recent data from Deloitte highlights some of the price sensitivity U.S. streaming audiences are experiencing. More than two-thirds of streaming subscribers are now opting for ads, marking a 20% increase from 2024.

That cost-conscious sentimentexpands beyond North America, reaching Western Europe, according to Ampere Analysis. The total revenue from ad tiers has risen rapidly across these markets over the past five years, up from less than 5% in 2020 to 28% in 2025.

But even as consumers demonstrate their willingness to pay less and watch ads, streaming platforms still benefit, making money from both subscription fees and advertising. When accounting for that ad revenue, streaming services generated closer to $177 billion in global revenue last year. Advertising is expected to become an even more important revenue stream for these companies, as ads alone could add $42 billion in annual revenue by 2030, per Ampere Analysis.

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