Audience Score Surges for ‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Despite Hollywood Critics Slamming Film

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Just before The Super Mario Bros. Movie premiered, most Hollywood critics published very negative reviews. However, moviegoers didn’t let that discourage them and went to see it anyway. Now, the first audience reactions are coming in, and they’re overwhelmingly positive – much better than the critics’ reviews.

We’ve seen this before with Mario movies: critics often aren’t as impressed as general audiences, even when the films are huge hits.

There’s a growing disconnect between what media critics like and what most people enjoy, and we’re seeing it reflected in movie ticket sales. It’s becoming clear that critics don’t have as much influence over what audiences choose to watch anymore.

Critics Dismiss the Film

Currently, the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes gives The Super Mario Bros. Movie a 42% ‘Rotten’ rating, based on 115 reviews. This is a slight decrease from 44% before the film’s release, and a low score like this might discourage some people from seeing it.

Reviews from industry trades and established outlets attempt to outline where the film falls short.

Reviews for the film are mixed. The Hollywood Reporter suggests it will please fans but likely not appeal to a wider audience. Variety calls it chaotic, underwhelming, and lacking substance. Even IGN offered a lukewarm assessment, giving it a 6 out of 10 and simply stating it’s ‘okay’.

Historically, negative reviews could really hurt a movie’s success. But this time, many people saw the low ratings as a positive thing, believing that traditional media doesn’t understand what viewers actually enjoy.

When ign drops a score on something below 7 you should probably check it out!

— Jonathan Giammarco (@JJ_Giammarco) March 31, 2026

Early audience data now validates that reaction.

Audiences and Box Office Tell a Different Story

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is really popular with audiences! It currently has a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on over 1,000 reviews. This shows a big difference between what critics and general viewers think. While the movie gets a slightly more moderate, but still positive, 77% ‘Rad’ score from 48 voters on the review site Criticless, the audience clearly loves it.

The most popular review on Criticless (giving the film an 80% rating) points out that this movie isn’t about a complex story or in-depth characters. It’s aimed at fans of Mario and Nintendo. While some critics saw the simple, fast-moving plot as a weakness, it seems to be exactly what’s attracting audiences to the film.

The strong audience response to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, combined with its record-breaking box office numbers, suggests that film critics are losing influence. Deadline reports the movie earned over $34 million on its opening day, making it the biggest opening day of the year and the best April opening Wednesday ever.

The Divide Is Now Unmistakable

These days, what critics think and what audiences actually want seem to be very different. The success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, despite mixed reviews, proves this. People are now making their own decisions about which movies to see, based on whether they look fun and get positive buzz. If a movie entertains them, they’ll not only see it, but they’ll likely recommend it to others and even see it again.

Even if critics don’t love it, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is on track to be one of the year’s biggest hits, and it seems like people are already tuning out the critics anyway.

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2026-04-02 19:56