After a $1.3 billion box office triumph, Nintendo commits to a full Film slate — including a live-action Legend of Zelda.
Nintendo has finally crossed the line from being a big name in video games to a contender in the movie business. The company has stated that it is “in the movie business” for good following the huge success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide. At its most recent shareholder meeting, Nintendo unveiled a plan for the future that includes Super Mario Bros. Galaxy (2026) and a live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda (2027).
Investors were most interested in one word in the announcement: Nintendo plans to produce movies on a regular schedule. That is, the big name in video games wants to put out movies daily, not just one-offs based on its most popular IPs.
Nintendo is now in the movie business.
It was made very clear by the company’s leaders in the presentation: “Following the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023, we have the Super Mario Bros. Galaxy movie planned for 2026 and the live-action The Legend of Zelda movie planned for 2027.” We are still preparing for more movies to come out in the future.
Nintendo was obvious that it would not just let other companies use its figures; it would also produce and pay for the movies. This hands-on method is similar to the one that worked so well for The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
It’s both exciting and a little scary for the company to decide to go deeper into Hollywood. Fans will always remember Nintendo’s first live-action movie, Super Mario Bros., which was released in 1993 and became a critical and financial disaster, making the company famous for all the wrong reasons.
After a billion dollars, they’re all in.
People who follow the business aren’t surprised that Mario’s 1.3 billion success was enough to change Nintendo’s whole attitude. It appears that one big hit movie was enough to convince business leaders that movies can be a valuable (and even necessary) part of their work.
To be fair, the reasoning makes sense. The first movie showed that Nintendo’s figures have a huge following of fans of all ages who aren’t just into video games. The company now hopes that Zelda and any other projects that follow will have the same nostalgic and cross-generational appeal.
That being said, not every item has Mario’s universal appeal. From Uncharted to The Last of Us, PlayStation has a library of movie titles, but Nintendo doesn’t have nearly as many. The company’s next most well-known names, like Kirby or Donkey Kong, may not yet have the cultural impact to support billion-dollar franchises.
Mario is king, but can other characters follow?
One report said, “When you think Nintendo, you think Mario.” “That’s just the truth.” Even though games like Donkey Kong, Luigi’s Mansion, and Metroid are very popular, Mario is the most well-known character in the world.
This raises an important question: how long can Nintendo’s movie plan last if it relies on using the same winning strategy repeatedly? The presentation slide that hinted at two more “mystery” movies only piqued people’s interest further. Because Mario and Donkey Kong were so important in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, people in the business are already betting that those will probably be another Mario movie and a Donkey Kong spinoff.
It makes sense. Donkey Kong has already appeared in a movie, and the studio has just released a new Donkey Kong game to a lot of excitement. That momentum could easily be built on by a movie adaptation, which would make Nintendo’s new movie world bigger and more linked.
Could we next see Luigi’s Mansion or Mario Kart?
People who are fans online are already talking about ideas. Fans have loved Luigi’s Mansion for a long time, and it would make a great family-friendly version. Some people are picturing a Mario Kart movie that would be like a cartoon Fast & Furious, but take place in the Mushroom Kingdom.
In a live chat, a fan made a joke: “You could make a Mario Kart movie like F1 where the competition on the track drives the story.” And to be honest, that idea doesn’t sound too crazy when you think about how Nintendo loves movie worlds.
There are a lot of options, but the catalog is still not as big as those of other entertainment giants. How well Nintendo does in Hollywood may rest less on how many IPs it owns and more on how creatively it expands the worlds it already has.
Lessons Learned from the 1993 Disaster.
It’s no secret that Nintendo’s first live-action Mario movie, released in 1993, was a huge failure. It had a confusing mix of dystopian visuals and bad humor that turned people off and almost ended Nintendo’s movie plans for good.
But this time, the company is determined not to make the same mistake. It worked out great for them to work with Illumination, the animation company that made Despicable Me and Minions. The partnership stayed true to Nintendo’s vision while adding the polish of a Hollywood story.
It is said that Illumination and Nintendo worked together on the projects, which kept the beloved characters true to their game roots. The result was a movie that appealed to people of all ages and made Nintendo believe in film again.
The Legend of Zelda could be Nintendo’s next movie universe.
All eyes are now on the planned Legend of Zelda movie, which is another risky live-action movie from the company. The chances are good, but the risks are high. The Zelda series has a vast mythology that spans many ages and timelines, making it perfect for adaptation into a movie.
It’s possible that Zelda could lead to a series or even a shared “Hyruleverse,” like The Lord of the Rings or The Witcher. It seems that the next step for Nintendo is to create worlds that are interconnected rather than standalone stories.
If they get Zelda right, Nintendo won’t just have one franchise—they’ll have two universes to alternate between for the next ten years,” said an expert in the field.
A plan for the future worth a billion dollars.
Ultimately, Nintendo’s newfound desire to produce movies feels both exciting and inevitable. Nintendo is one of the most iconic names in the world. For almost 40 years, its characters have changed the lives of young people, and its games are still some of the most popular of all time.
Nintendo has a chance to make something that lasts, from Mario and Zelda to possible add-ons like Donkey Kong and Luigi’s Mansion, as long as it keeps the artistic integrity that makes its games unique.
The company’s highest officials stated that this is not a test run. Now that Nintendo is in the movie business, it’s here to stay.
