SUNDAY AM WRITETHRU after Friday and Saturday posts…: Refresh for updates Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie came in higher with a No. 1 third weekend of $35M third weekend, -49%, after a better than expected Saturday near $17M. Running cume by end of today is $355.2M.

While this movie along with Project Hail Mary ($20.4M fifth weekend, -15%, cume $285M, now ahead of Dune Part Two which finaled at $282M stateside) have been the anchors of spring much like Sinners and A Minecraft Movie were a year ago, it was always known that this sequel would be a bit front-loaded with slightly lesser audience exits than the first one. Super Mario Bros declined -35% in its third frame taking its running cume to $436M. Not a big deal, Super Mario Galaxy Movie clocked past $747M global take and is now officially the highest grossing movie of 2026, squashing China’s Pegasus 3 ($647.8M). All in now, the Mario Bros movies count $2 billion as of this weekend. Super Mario Galaxy Movie is booked at 4,170 theaters while Project Hail Mary is playing at 3,820 theaters.

In third place is New Line/Blumhouse/Atomic Monster’s Lee Cronin’s The Mummy with $5.2M on Friday, an estimated $5M Saturday on its way to a 3-day of $13M+ at 3,304 theaters (we’re waiting on Warners offcial number). CinemaScore is C+ which is better than Blumhouse’s Wolf Man (C-) but under pre-pandemic’s Invisible Man (B+) in its monster movie revamp. Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is now at 77% with critics disliking mummified children at 45%. Seventy-eight total markets have generated $7.9M in foreign box office so far.

Why is Lee Cronin’s name in the title aside from distinguishing this from Universal’s Mummy franchise? For horror fans, if you know, you know. It’s a direct sell to them by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster; Cronin directed New Line’s 2023 hit Evil Dead Rise, which was saved from HBO Max and sent to theatrical grossing $147.1M around the globe and $46M net profit in its first cycle. The movie was originally pitched at Universal, however, they had their own Mummy revamp with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in development. So Blumhouse and Atomic Monster walked their Mummy over to New Line. Next to other horror films that tried to make a go this spring, i.e. Ready or Not 2 ($9M) and They Will Kill You ($4.9M), this is a pretty good start for the $22M net production. Let the record show, your honor, that the opening for Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is also higher than the starry auteurish The Bride! ($7M).

Audience last night in PostTrak exits was 56% men, with the 18-34 bunch repping 62% of ticket buyers. Latino and Hispanic moviegoers are leading at 37%, followed by 33% Caucasian, 15% Black, 9% Asian and 6% Native America/other. Some Imax and PLF screens are driving 33% of the gross with best plays in the South, South Central and West. The AMC Burbank is the best location with close to $50K.

Social media reach across TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X and Instagram was at 265M before opening says RelishMix, 26% horror genre norms and post Covid scary pics such as 28 Years Later (225M), Smile 2 (159M) and M3GAN 2.0 (263M). Mummy cast members are fully socially activated, although with moderate reach including Veronica Falcón who brings 128K fans, Lila Kosta at 120K, Jack Rayner at 82K, plus director Cronin at 39k.

Magnolia’s Bob Odenkirk action movie, Normal, is coming in at $2.65M for the 3-day per estimates after a Friday of $1M including $250K previews. Thelma, the distrib’s previous wide entry, opened to $2.3M. C+ CinemaScore. Whatever money is being made for the 65% leaning dude movie is coming from South, Midwest and West. The AMC Centurty City is now the pic’s top grossing location with close to $9K. The 18-34 was 36%, so it tells you how older skewing this is with 44% over 45.

Overall weekend is coming in at $93.6M, which is 32% from the same frame a year ago. Don’t get cynical, or jaded, because it was Easter at this time last year when Sinners debuted to $48M.

THE CHART IS UPDATING….REFLECTED IN BOLD

FRIDAY AM: Before Lionsgate’s Michael moonwalks and boogies down at the box office, we have New Line/Blumhouse/Atomic Monster’s Lee Cronin’s The Mummy which did $1.5M yesterday from showtimes which began at 3PM. The horror pic is eyeing an opening around $12M in a box office universe still dominated by Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie which sources have at a third weekend around $44M. By comparison, weekend 3 of 2023’s Super Mario Bros Movie was $59.9M, -35% from weekend 2.

Audiences so far are enjoying Lee Cronin’s The Mummy at 80% to critics’ 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. That preview figure is under the $2.2M of Send Help and above Knock at the Cabin ($1.45M, $14M).

The pic, which cost $22M net with 30% Irish tax credits, follows the young daughter of a journalist who disappears into the desert without a trace. Eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.

The R-rated The Mummy‘s first choice is best with men over 25 and women under 25. Overall first choice is about even with The Invisible Man ($28.2M), higher than Send Help ($19M) and a notch above The Monkey ($14M) and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple ($12.5M).

Magnolia has the Bob Odenkirk starring and co-written, Ben Wheatley directed, and Derek Kolstad co-written Normal which will rep Magnolia’s widest release ever at 2,027 theaters and the largest P&A in the company’s history. It’s part of a strategic shift whereby Magnolia will reserve a few slots a year for wide release pics. Thelma was previously Magnolia’s widest entry with an opening of $2.3M at 1,290 theaters. The shoot ’em up Normal is expected to arrive in the low single digits. Critical score on RT is 77% certified fresh. Magnolia bought this movie out of TIFF midnight. Odenkirk plays a small town temporary sheriff who uncovers dark mysteries after the bank is robbed. Watch our interview out of TIFF below:

Here’s the top 5 for the week: