Last year, Universal Studios gave the masses what they wanted. I just honestly didn’t know it was going to be a Nintendo movie. “Super Mario Bros Movie” was deeply indebted in ‘80s nostalgia, it was most-certainly IP and very harmless entertainment. The result was $1.3 billion in worldwide grosses.
I wrote in April ‘23:
Bad reviews haven’t stopped the momentum either. ‘Super Mario’ is entertaining the masses, and there will be many sequels to come now. You can also expect spin-off upon spin-off. It’s going to be never-ending. You have been warned.
That’s why it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to learn that a ‘Super Mario’ sequel has been greenlit for April 3, 2026 release. The main cast will most likely be back, including Chris Pratt. Animation on the sequel will begin soon, with the team currently storyboarding and working on set designs. Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic will return to direct.
Illumination is also working on “Legend of Zelda,” “Luigi's Mansion,” “Donkey Kong” In some fashion, Nintendo might very well dethrone Marvel’s 10+ year reign as box-office king with all of these movies.
So, what 2023 has proven to us is that its two biggest hits — “Super Mario Bros” and “Barbie” — have resulted in the unleashing of numerous Nintendo and Mattel movies to come in the next decade or two. It’s important to note that Mattel is also rising, they have 14 different projects in development, including Lena Dunham’s “Polly Pocket” movie.
Moviegoing is not dying. Nostalgia sells. As Scorsese described these popular blockbusters, they are “theme park rides” and they will continue to thrive. They bring out many moviegoers of all generations, most of which grew up playing Nintendo games in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and ‘00s.
Now, what about old-school cinema? The arthouse isn’t making much money these days. The demographic for those types of films has migrated to streaming content at home.