The Super Mario Bros. Movie Led to Big Sales Increase for Nintendo Switch Games

The Super Mario Bros. Movie released in theaters last April and proved to be a massive success. Earning more than $1 billion at the global box office, the animated adaptation proved that there is a clear interest in Nintendo's franchises outside the video games themselves. In the company's latest financial results, Nintendo went into depth about how the movie is helping new audiences discover its characters, and the positive impact this has already had on the video games. According to Nintendo, sales for five older Mario games were up by 1.3x over the previous year, while new users for Mario mobile games were up 1.4x. 

The Nintendo Switch games used to showcase this trend included New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Maker 2, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Meanwhile, the Mario mobile games that saw increased attention included Super Mario Run and Mario Kart Tour. The chart from Nintendo can be found below. 

Nintendo's Future in Movies

Nintendo and Universal estimate that 169.84 million people saw The Super Mario Bros. Movie in theaters. An important note is that the movie was released in several areas of the world where Nintendo Switch is not currently sold. Nintendo sees this as a strong growth opportunity, helping the company's characters reach audiences that would not otherwise be possible. Over the last few years, Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto has discussed the hurdles of getting Nintendo characters more recognition among those that don't play video games, or might not have an interest in the gaming medium. The Super Nintendo World attractions at Universal Studios have played a part in this expansion strategy, and movies have as well. 

Given the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and its impact on game sales, it's no surprise that Nintendo announced a live-action movie based on The Legend of Zelda. The film is being made in partnership with Sony, with Nintendo providing the majority of financing, and Sony handling theatrical distribution. Like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Miyamoto will be serving as a producer on the film. 

The Next Mario Movie

Usually, when a movie makes as much money as The Super Mario Bros. Movie did, a sequel is announced immediately after. However, that has not been the case, as the movie released just weeks ahead of the start of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Back in June, Mario actor Chris Pratt noted that any discussion about a sequel would have to wait until the strike's conclusion. Now that the WGA strike is over and the SAG strike is coming to a close, it's likely we'll hear more of Universal's plans for a sequel, and perhaps spin-off films. 

Are you surprised that The Super Mario Bros. Movie helped spur game sales? Do you think it will create more Nintendo fans? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!