Nintendo and Illumination tease more movie collaborations

Senior figures at Nintendo and Illumination have spoken about the possibility of further Nintendo movies, after the smash success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

The movie has proven to be a huge financial success, breaking a number of opening weekend records and being firmly on track to surpass $1 billion at the global box office. Some critics are projecting that it will be the biggest film of 2023. As a result the prospect of future films seems likely, with Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto saying he is “sure” that the two companies would stick together going forward.

Illumination CEO and founder Chris Meledandri reaffirmed this, going on to describe the partnership with Nintendo as “a really rewarding collaboration”. He also noted how he had previously been invited to join the Nintendo board of directors and said the companies were already “working together into the future”. Miyamoto indicated that more Nintendo properties might be used in future projects: “Nintendo is like a talent agency. We have plenty of other entertainers… There are many possible ways we could go, such as using characters that would be fit for movies, or very well-known characters.”

However, in an interview with Game Informer, Miyamoto indicated that any future projects are unlikely to come any time soon in response to a question about other Nintendo series being transformed into movies. He said: “You probably know that we have Nintendo Pictures now as a group. Whenever we create games, that’s one form of content. And when we create animation, that’s another form of content. And we want to continue to expand the amount of content that we can produce. In terms of announcing or sharing anything, I try to hold off until there’s something really good and enjoyable. So, there’s probably nothing to announce in the near future, so I ask you to put all your focus in this movie currently.”

Nintendo Pictures was formed last year after Nintendo entered an agreement to acquire the visual production company Dynamo Pictures, Inc. (which was known for its work on the Pikmin short films). During the same interview, Miyamoto teased a new Mario game, asking fans to stay tuned for future Nintendo Directs.

You can read a review of The Super Mario Bros. Movie by The Boar Games here.