Cinema once again proved it’s the heart of family entertainment, with the Australian box office soaring to $25.88 million across the Thursday to Monday Easter long weekend.
It was the second-biggest Easter long weekend of the decade and up 52 per cent on the Easter long weekend last year.
The result was driven by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which released on Wednesday last week and delivered 446,000 admissions and $9.44M at the Australian box office up to Sunday. The film also recorded the biggest opening weekend for any release so far this year.
Globally, the film ranks as the fifth-biggest animated opening of all time, cementing itself as the second-biggest global opening for a video game adaptation, behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which released in 2023.
Family audiences continued to be a driving force across the weekend with family releases Super Mario Galaxy Movie, The Magic Far Away Tree, Hoppers, and GOAT representing 57 per cent of the total box office.
Guy Burbidge, managing director of Val Morgan Cinema said: “The value of family audiences is unmatched, particularly during periods like Easter when families are actively looking for ways to spend time together,”
“In our recent family study, we found that cinema remains one of the last places where families truly come together to connect. What makes that moment so powerful for brands is the shared nature of the experience, the talkability, the connection and the memories created together, all of which drive tangible commercial impact for brands.”
“The box office is off to its strongest start we’ve seen in years, and we see this momentum continuing throughout 2026, backed by a diverse and consistent release slate of both original content and highly successful franchises,” Burbidge added.
