The Super Mario Galaxy Movie just achieved a huge box office accomplishment, but it isn’t the only Jack Black franchise that’s currently popular. 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a major commercial success, grossing around $1.4 million worldwide. The film featured a star-studded cast, with Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, and Black as Bowser. Black returned as the Koopa King in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s cast, alongside returning cast members, and newcomers like Donald Glover as Yoshi, Brie Larson as Princess Rosalina, and Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr.
Currently, the Nintendo and Illumination animated film is the highest-grossing movie of the year worldwide, and recently reached a new box office milestone. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has now grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. It’s the first film of 2026 to do so, though it likely won’t be the last, as this year includes other films with strong box office potential, including Toy Story 5, Minions & Monsters, Moana, The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and Avengers: Doomsday.
It’s the latest box office hit for Black, who also played Steve in 2025’s A Minecraft Movie, which earned around $960.4 million worldwide. The School of Rock actor is returning in A Minecraft Sequel, which is set to release in 2027. Super Mario 3 could release in 2029 if it follows the same timeline as Galaxy, and it’s likely that Black would return as Bowser once more.
Both Mario and Minecraft are proving to be successful franchises for Black, who has starred in a few others in his career. Jumanji is another hit film series for the actor, and one of its films is popular now on streaming. It’s a perfect time for this franchise to be trending, just as another series starring Black hits a major box office achievement.
Jumanji: The Next Level Is Trending On Hulu
The Jumanji franchise began in 1995. Based on the children’s book written by Chris Van Allsburg, the film centered on a dangerous magical board game themed to the jungle with elements that come to life while it’s being played. In 2017, the franchise continued with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which changed the titular board game to a video game. In the film, four teenagers are sucked into the game, and must finish it to return to the real world. Black played Professor Sheldon “Shelly” Oberon, one of the game’s avatars that is inhabited by Madison Iseman’s Bethany.
The 2017 film was a hit, leading to a sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level, releasing two years later in 2019. The Next Level was also a success, and is currently trending on Hulu. The sequel is in the streaming platform’s top 15, and currently holds the No. 6 spot. This shows that there is still interest from audiences in this franchise nearly seven years after the last film’s release. It’s a promising sign ahead of the upcoming third film, which is set to release on December 25, 2026.
The Jumanji Franchise Has Been Highly Successful
Both Jumanji films starring Black were commercially successful. Welcome to the Jungle grossed over $962 million worldwide, and The Next Level earned around $801.7 million worldwide. They also performed well with critics, with the 2017 film earning a 76% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the 2019 sequel earning a 72% RT critic score.
The upcoming third film in the series will see Black return, alongside his co-stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Awkwafina, and Nick Jonas. Based on how the previous films performed and The Next Level‘s current popularity on streaming, Open World has a chance of becoming another hit. However, it will be facing strong competition, as Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three are releasing in theaters on December 18, 2026. Still, it could be another hit for Jack Black in 2026 following The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
- Video Game(s)
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Jumanji: The Video Game
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Chris Van Allsburg