“The Super Mario Bros. Movie was possible because so many people took action and worked together,” said Miyamoto. “As a producer, I tried to make sure the team functioned smoothly. Many of the people involved said they’d like to work on the next project as well, so I guess that means we succeeded to some extent?”

“The setting for the next movie is, just as the title says, the galaxy — that’s all I can really say. We’re in the final stages of production now, but I think it’s going to be fun. I usually just say, ‘I’ll keep working on it until it becomes fun,’ so that alone should tell you how confident I am (laughs).”

Further in the interview, Miyamoto also spoke about the 40th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, and the general future of the series. Among other things, he reminisced about Nintendo having wrapped up development of Super Mario World, and then tackling a brand new frontier with Super Mario 64 and the shift into 3D.

“By the time we finished Super Mario World, I felt we had thoroughly explored what could be done with Mario in two dimensions,” he said. “Then, when we moved into 3D with Super Mario 64, it brought back memories from my childhood.”

In more modern times, Miyamoto said that there are team mates who help maintain the “Mario-ness” of the newer titles of the franchise, which he elaborated as meaning a game to be unique and accessible to any kind of gamer. While he might not be personally involved in making the new Mario games anymore, Miyamoto noted that he still plays each new entry in the franchise for at at least half an hour.

“Nowadays, I have teammates who help maintain the world of Mario, so I entrust much of it to them,” he explained. “Even so, I always personally play through about the first 30 minutes of the game and check the interface thoroughly — to make sure it really feels like Mario.”

Looking to the future, he spoke about how the Mario franchise has expanded into movies, and how just about every Nintendo console so far has had a Mario game made specially for it. While he doesn’t know how the developers will tackle the next game in the series for the Nintendo Switch 2, he did note that he wants to be healthy to enjoy the 50th anniversary of the character.

“With the help of many passionate people outside our company, Mario has expanded into theme parks and movies, and I’m really looking forward to how things will develop from here,” he said. “Up through Super Mario Odyssey, I feel we’ve done just about everything we could on the Switch. In the past, whenever a new console came out, we always released a new Mario game, so I do wonder how the current team will take on that challenge. But maybe I’ll say, ‘I won’t look anymore!’ (laughs) I just hope to stay healthy until Mario’s 50th anniversary!”

In response to a larger question about the expansion of Universal Studios Japan with the Nintendo Museum, Miyamoto noted that games tend to start feeling “obsolete” when they start getting sequels or when new consoles come out. Which means that older Nintendo games only remain playable for newer audiences through things like Virtual Console.

“Ultimately, what people remember are the IPs,” said Miyamoto. “Games become obsolete when new versions come out. But that’s incredibly sad. We started video production partly because of that sadness—seeing our creations become playable only on Virtual Console.”

Miyamoto also talks about the role that Nintendo Museum can play in this, since it allows attendees to experience historic consoles and games made by the company. However, he addresses the fact that there are still limits to what can be done with Nintendo Museum, and that “video content can endure forever.”

“I envision more and more of these things accumulating, making Nintendo itself a huge brand,” he said. “I always say our theme is ‘creating reasons for people to choose Nintendo.’ I dream of a world where, when a child enters first grade, the conversation isn’t ‘What game should be buy?’ but rather ‘When you start first grade, we’ll get you a Nintendo.’”

As for the Nintendo Museum itself, Miyamoto has described the fact that it features various characters from across Nintendo franchises at the welcome zone, with each character also having their own themed exhibits. The museum, he noted, was primarily designed around showing off the company’s past products and hardware.

“But to help people understand Nintendo as a whole, we decided showing them the IPs was the best approach, so we created this space,” explained Miyamoto. “Now we’re operating it as a gateway to introduce these IPs and bring people back to Nintendo games, much like IPs, theme parks and movies do. Looking ahead, while games are obviously part of the larger Nintendo IP brand, we envision creating even more compelling things. We hope to think of it as a space where all sorts of things can be incorporated.”

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was incredibly popular, with a report from May 2024 revealing that it was the most profitable film of 2023, beating out competitors in the medium like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. It was also able to beat out heavy hitters like Oppenheimer and Barbie.

The sequel was officially unveiled just last month, with the confirmation that it will tackle more cosmic elements of the Mario universe. Dubbed The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the film is slated to hit theaters on April 3, 2026.

So this is just legitimate ragebait. The context was specifically about expanding the Nintendo IPs and the Nintendo Museum where they can see and use old hardware. Here's the question and answer

— Erasu (@erasu.bsky.social) 2025-10-19T18:24:48.097Z

On the official NBC Universal website, a report was published highlighting the lineup of titles shown off at the recent NBCUniversal’s 2025-2026 Upfront showcase event, and mentioned among several upcoming movies is Super Mario World. In case you were wondering, no, that isn’t a title that has been officially confirmed for the animated film so far.

“An exciting range of films from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation and Illumination were presented, including Megan 2.0, Nobody 2, Bad Guys 2, How to Train Your Dragon, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Black Phone 2, HIM, The Phoenician Scheme, Super Mario World, Shrek, and Minions,” the website reads.

In October last year, actor Keegan-Michael Key, the voice of Toad in the Mario movies, said of the sequel that it will be “a little broader in scope” and that it will “widen out the universe.” A title such as Super Mario World would certainly fit with that kind kind of scope, while it would, of course, also be a great way to exploit the nostalgia of fans of the beloved SNES 2D platforming classic of the same name.

For now, we’re going to have to wait for official word on what the next Mario movie will be called and what it’ll bring to the table, but hopefully the wait won’t be too long. Stay tuned for more updates.

Speaking in a recent interview with Men’s Journey, Key revealed that The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2 is going to be “a little broader” in scope than its predecessor, and that it features a “very intriguing setting”. Meanwhile, fans can also expect plenty more easter eggs, just like the first movie.

“One thing I can say about the second movie is that it’s a little broader in scope, and where it takes place is very intriguing lore and the Mario world,” he said. “They’re going to find some really fantastic Easter eggs and it’s been very exciting so far.”

Key went on to add that the movie will expand its cast with the introduction of several new characters, and though some will be fan-favourites, others will be more obscure pulls that not everyone may be familiar with.

“I feel like what they’ve done creatively is they’ve really widened out the universe that these characters live in and we’re going to meet some new folks,” he said. “We’re going to meet some new folks that are old favorites and some folks that I think are really deep cuts, but because of the way the story’s laying itself out right now, those characters are going to be very intriguing.”

The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s sequel is currently scheduled to release in April 2026.

As per a report published by Deadline, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was the most profitable movie of 2023, beating the likes of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Oppenheimer, and Barbie. The animated film’s production costs of $100 million were split 50-50 by Nintendo and Universal, and with several other expenses added on top, it had a total budget of $400 million.

Against that, across its theatrical run, home entertainment release, and TV and streaming viewings, The Super Mario Bros. Movie brought in total revenues of $959 million, for a net profit of $559 million, making it the most lucrative movie of the year.

In March, Nintendo announced that it had started working on a follow-up to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, targeting an April 2026 release.

Nintendo is currently also working on a live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda with Sony Pictures, to be directed by Wes Bell (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Maze Runner).

Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto announced this during MAR10 Day 2024, with producer Chris Meledandri confirming the return of the first film’s directors, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic. The team at Illumination Paris have been story-boarding scenes and developing sets for “new environments,” with animation “starting soon.” “Rest assured, we’ll be obsessing over every detail to get it just right.”

Further details have yet to be revealed, but per a tweet by Nintendo of America, the company is thinking of “broadening Mario’s world further” with a “bright and fun story.” Could this mean other Nintendo properties, like The Legend of Zelda (which is getting its own feature film co-financed by Sony Pictures)? Time will tell, so stay tuned.

The Mario series recently saw the launch of Super Mario Bros. Wonder last October, selling 11.96 million units. Other major releases this year include Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD for Nintendo Switch, with Princess Peach: Showtime! launching on March 22nd.

We'll let you know the details once we're ready to share more. This time too, the staff at Illumination and Nintendo are working together. We're thinking about broadening Mario's world further, and it'll have a bright and fun story. We hope you'll look forward to it! [2/2]

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) March 10, 2024

Nintendo and Illumination’s animated movie has been viewed by over 168.1 million people worldwide (as of July 30) since its debut in April. Its total global box office revenues currently sit at $1.349 billion (as of July 26), making it the highest-grossing film based on a game, and the second-highest grossing animated film of all time.

Nintendo also says that the movie’s success has benefited in other ways as well, like being received well in markets where it doesn’t traditionally have a strong presence, like South America and Asian markets outside of Japan.

“By expanding Nintendo IP in areas outside the dedicated video game platform we create new opportunities for consumers to encounter Nintendo IP, and this invigorates our overall business,” the company says. “Based on the various effects that we have confirmed through the release of this movie, we will continue our efforts towards visual content-related initiatives.”

Earlier this year, reports claimed that Nintendo and Illumination were on the verge of agreeing a deal for an animated movie based on The Legend of Zelda.

Additionally, Nintendo says that “the heightened consumer interest in Super Mario” is resulting in “growing sales” for titles, merchandise, and smart device apps related to the IP. Whether that will result in a sales boost for upcoming titles like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario RPG as well remains to be seen, though that’s certainly what the company will be hoping for.

Nintendo’s latest quarterly fiscal report also revealed that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has sold over 18.5 million units worldwide, while the Switch’s worldwide sales stand at over 129.5 million. The company has also provided updated sales numbers for the Switch’s 10 best-selling first party titles.

When asked if the recent success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie had spurred excitement about a potential The Legend of Zelda adaptation, “I have to say, I am interested,” Aonuma stated. “For sure.”

“But it’s not just me being interested in something that makes things happen, unfortunately.”

Hidemaro Fujibayashi—director of the recently-released The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—indicated that the support of fans would be important in making a potential movie based on Zelda happen. Fujibayashi said, “maybe the voice of the fans is what’s important here.”

The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been an immense success for Nintendo, having crossed $1 billion at the box office in around a month. The movie turned out to be the highest-grossing release of the year, and Nintendo has also revealed that it is interested in producing more movies under the Nintendo Pictures label.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was recently released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. Since its release, the game has seen critical acclaim, and has been selling well all over the world, including in the UK and France. For more details on the game, check out our graphical analysis, and here are 15 tips and tricks to keep in mind while playing.

During the Q&A (via Ruetir), Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa assured the company’s shareholders that Nintendo will be using the Nintendo Pictures label to produce more movies based on Nintendo franchises in the future.

Released back in April, The Super Mario Bros. Movie saw immense success with a strong opening weekend where it earned $146 million, and then earning $204.6 million in its first five days. More recently, however, the movie managed to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office, according to reports earlier this month.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Jack Black as Bowser, Anya-Joy Taylor as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. Its plot revolves around Mario and Luigi getting warped to the Mushroom Kingdom, and Luigi getting captured by Bowser.

With $204.6 million earned domestically in its first five days, The Super Mario Bros. Movie had the biggest opening weekend of 2023. It’s now the highest-grossing domestic and international film of the year and the highest for a video game adaptation to film.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie features Chris Pratt as Mario, Jack Black as Bowser, Anya-Joy Taylor as Princess Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi and Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. It sees Mario and Luigi warped into the Mushroom Kingdom and the latter captured by Bowser. With Princess Peach, Mario must train and become a hero (sort of) to save his brother.