UPDATE, Friday PM: No major wide entries to shake the Earth before CinemaCon, but a very rich weekend that will keep exhibitors and studios in harmony next week. This is all thanks to the second frame of Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie which is posting $18.7 million Friday on its way to a $71M three-day total at 4,284 theaters, off 46% week over week. That will get the animated sequel voiced by Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Charlie Day and Anya Taylor-Joy and more to $310.1M by EOD Sunday.

As we told you, 2023’s Super Mario Bros had the second-best second weekend for an animated movie at $92.3M (a -37% hold). Currently, Super Mario Galaxy Movie has the seventh-best second weekend for an animated movie behind Inside Out 2 ($101.2M), Super Mario Bros, Frozen 2 ($85.9M), Incredibles II ($80.3M), Finding Dory ($72.9M) and Shrek 2 ($72.1M).

Second place remains the fourth weekend of Amazon MGM Studios’ Project Hail Mary with a $6.3M Friday, $25.5M 3-day at 3,817, off 20%, and running cume by Sunday of $257.5M. That cume, should it hold, will be 3% behind Oppenheimer at the same point in time on Sunday. That multi-Oscar-winning Christopher Nolan movie ended its domestic run at $330M, boosted further by myriad Imax and awards season rereleases.

Universal’s You, Me & Tuscany is seeing $3.2M Friday (includes $75,000K previews) for an opening of $8.3M at 3,151 theaters. Currently, Rotten Tomatoes audiences are more amore with the Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page movie than critics, 94% to 68%.

A24’s The Drama starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson is looking at an estimated $2.5M today with around $7.6M–$8M for its second weekend in fourth at 3,151 sites. At the high end, that’s a -44% hold. Zendaya’s previous non-IP pic, Challengers, had a second weekend of $7.6M, -49%.

Fifth goes to Disney/Pixar’s sixth weekend of Hoppers with an estimated $4M, after a $1.1M Friday at 2,850 theaters. Running total is $157M. Elemental ended its domestic run at $154.4M.

FRIDAY AM: Universal’s Halle Bailey and Rege-Jean Page romance You, Me & Tuscany did $750,000 in previews at 2,550 theaters from showtimes that began at 2 p.m. Thursday. The $18M production is only expected to file in the high-single digits this weekend.

The Will Packer-produced movie comps to the previews of Sony/TriStar’s One of Them Days ($1.3M, $11.8M opening) and Angel Studios’ Solo Mio ($744K, $7M opening).

The real news remains Illumination/Nintendo/Universal’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which is eyeing a second weekend between $60M-$70M. The sequel keeps all the Imax and PLFs screens.

The Chris Meledandri-produced animated feature made $8M yesterday at 4,252 theaters, off 9% from Wednesday, ending its week at $180M and putting its nine-day running total at $239.1M. At the low end of its second weekend, $300M is within range.

2. Project Hail Mary (AMZ) 3,907 theaters, Wk $45.4M (-41%), Total $232M/Wk 3

4. Hoppers (Dis) 3,290 theaters, Wk $9.2M (-24%), Total $153M/Wk 5

5. A Great Awakening (RSA) 1,289 theaters, Wk $3.6M/Wk 1

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Come on – if you all want more romantic films you need to come out and support You, Me and Tuscany

Universal is definitely the right studio for Me, You Tuscany