Many fans have been hoping for films based on games like “Zelda”, “Metroid”, “Kirby” or “Starfox” for years. The success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie could now make that dream a reality.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is currently breaking records in the box office: Since its launch on April 5, 2023, the animation spectacle has grossed almost $377 million worldwide after the first weekend, making it not only the most successful theatrical release of the year, but also the most successful start of an animated film ever – the previous leader to date was “Frozen 2” from 2019 with 228.2 million dollars. And as if that wasn’t enough, the record for the most successful start of a video game adaptation was also dusted off almost in passing – the previous leader here was “Warcraft”. Craziness!
So it’s not surprising that the mind games are already starting as to how things could continue with Mario & Co. on the cinema screens – “The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2” has not yet been confirmed, but in this entry it only seems It’s only a matter of time before the sequel is officially announced.
But beyond that, there could even be a Nintendo Cinematic Universe (NCU).After all, the video game company has other exciting characters that fans would like to see on the big screen – and they have also published a timeline with desired releases of films with Nintendo characters – in the style of the well-known Marvel phases.
In an interview with Screenrant Nintendo CEO Shigeru Miyamoto, who is also the inventor of Super Mario, and Chris Meledandri, CEO of the animation company Illumination, have not yet given any concrete information about the next Nintendo cinema project, but they have confirmed that that there will be opportunities to bring more Nintendo characters to the big screen in the future.
When asked about a possible Nintendo Cinematic Universe, Meledandri explained that they will primarily focus on the current film, but at the same time plan for the future, while Miyamoto emphasized that they would like to expand the partnership further.
What movies could come?
And why not? If Mario can work on screen, why shouldn’t the logical offshoots like Donkey Kong or Kirby work as well? After all, these have the same target audience as The Super Mario Bros. Movie and can offer family-friendly fun. Even a kid-friendly Luigi’s Mansion-style spooky game could work – especially since there was a passage in The Super Mario Bros. Movie that pays a little homage to the ghost-busting adventures of the anxious Mario brother.
Only IPs like “Starfox”, “Zelda” or especially the “Metroid” known for its nasty creatures and almost in the field of body horror Sci-Fi monsters should be difficult to implement with the current animation studio partner Illumination, which in known primarily for the “Minions” adventures and kid-friendly entertainment – at least not in the seriousness that many fans are hoping for from a film adaptation of these brands.
