Will THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE Get a Sequel?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Despite THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE’s incredible success last year, Nintendo has been slow-going with a sequel and currently has nothing in the works.
The Mario brothers took the world by storm last year as one of the most popular video game franchises came to the big screen for the first time in 30 years. Ending 2023 as the No. 2 movie of the year, THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE grossed $1.36 billion at the global box office.
While most studios would be fast-tracking a sequel after this level of success, Nintendo has kept quiet about a follow-up movie, though it has green-lit a sequel.
“It has been radio silence,” Jack Black, who played Bowser in the movie, told Variety. “The only chatter has been coming from me, and I don’t even know if I’m allowed to chatter. I’ve been chomping at the bit to get back into business.”
Work on the sequel was originally blocked by the writers’ and actors’ strikes over the summer. However, it is unclear why Nintendo has yet to begin production now that the entertainment industry is back in full force.
Perhaps the video game giant wants to bring its other franchises to life, such as “The Legend of Zelda,” before it returns to the mushroom kingdom.
Whatever the case, writers will have plenty to work with when drafting a MARIO movie sequel. The original movie featured two post-credit scenes, either of which could play a major role in a second movie. The first scene featured a shrunken Bowser trapped in Princess Peach’s castle, while the other showed a Yoshi egg that had been left in Brooklyn, hinting at the introduction of the beloved companion.
The original movie also lacked some notable Mario characters, such as Wario, Waluigi, Princess Daisy and Princess Rosalina, any of which could play a major role in the plot of a follow-up movie.
Movieguide® previously reported:
THE SUPER MARIOS BROS. MOVIE was Roku’s No. 1 most searched movie on the streaming platform this year.
The movie generated a $1.36 billion worldwide box office take, making it the second-biggest animated movie ever after FROZEN II.
Movieguide® praised THE SUPER MARIOS BROS. MOVIE for its emphasis on “brotherhood, sacrifice, and working together to overcome evil.”
