The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The production of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" represents a major collaboration between Nintendo, represented by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, and Illumination Entertainment under the direction of Chris Meledandri, with distribution handled by Universal Pictures. This collaboration came about after Nintendo hesitated to license its intellectual property again for film adaptations following the critical and commercial disappointment of the first Mario film in 1993. However, the successful collaboration with Universal Parks & Resorts in the development of Super Nintendo World led to Miyamoto and Meledandri meeting and discussing a new Mario movie from 2016, with production officially announced in January 2018.

In the run-up to the movie's release on April 5, 2023, there were several trailers and even an advertising campaign in the form of a fictional plumbing company. The film incorporates numerous details from the long history of Mario video games, including characters, power-ups, music and sound effects. The voices of the characters were prominently cast in both the original and German dubbing, with Charles Martinet, the original voice of Mario, Luigi and other Nintendo characters, also taking on roles.

The success of the movie was remarkable. On its opening weekend alone, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" grossed over 204 million US dollars in the USA and achieved worldwide revenues of 375 million US dollars after just four days, which was many times the production budget of 100 million US dollars. With total box office takings of over USD 1.36 billion, the film became the most successful video game adaptation and was the 18th most successful film worldwide in July 2024.

The reviews were mixed: While 59% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a positive rating, the Metascore was 46 out of 100. Audiences, on the other hand, were much more enthusiastic, with an approval rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and a very good rating ("A") in CinemaScore polls. Despite criticism of the story and stereotypical characters, Princess Peach was positively highlighted.

The film also received numerous nominations and awards, including at the Annie Awards, Golden Globe Awards and the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, where Jack Black won Best Villain. Due to this great success, Nintendo and Illumination confirmed the planning of further film adaptations of their games, and a sequel to the Super Mario Bros. movie was announced for April 3, 2026.