Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy Sets Up Something Much Bigger Than A Smash Bros. Movie

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There’s been a lot of talk about a possible sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, with some suggesting it could tie into Super Smash Bros. However, it now seems Nintendo has even more ambitious plans. While the new Mario movie has received mixed reviews, it’s already expected to be a huge success in theaters.

Before the movie’s release, Nintendo revealed that Fox McCloud would appear, sparking excitement about the potential for a broader Nintendo cinematic universe. With the inclusion of characters like Pikmin, it became obvious that this wasn’t just a Super Mario film; it hinted at connections to many different Nintendo franchises and characters.

Nintendo has a history of bringing characters from its different game worlds together. For example, Link from The Legend of Zelda races in Mario Kart 8, and the Rayman character Rabbids star in their own games alongside Mario in the Mario + Rabbids series. We’ve even seen the surprising team-up of Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog in a series of Olympic-themed games.

Considering everything, a Super Smash Bros. movie offers the biggest opportunity for combining characters from different Nintendo franchises. The Smash Bros. fighting game series has become incredibly popular, bringing together well-known characters from games like Xenoblade Chronicles and even more surprising ones, like the Wii Fit trainer.

A Super Smash Bros. movie seems like a major project, but Nintendo recently shared details revealing their actual goals. And those plans are even more thrilling than a movie!

Nintendo Is On Their Way To Becoming The Next Disney

Nintendo, a company that originally started making playing cards way back in the 1800s, is now looking to expand what it offers, similar to Disney. While Disney is famous for its movies, most of its income actually comes from things like its theme parks and cruise lines.

This year, Josh D’Amoro took over as Disney’s CEO, a move that emphasizes how important the company’s theme park and resort division is. Nintendo is now taking a similar approach, though on a smaller level, by opening three Super Nintendo World theme parks at Universal Studios locations in Florida, California, and Osaka, Japan.

Nintendo is a smart company always looking to boost its profits, and they’re now using movies to help promote their games and other brands. The success of the recent Mario movie shows us what Nintendo has planned for the future – leveraging films as a way to increase sales across the board.

How The Studio Set A Precedent With Donkey Kong In The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Nintendo primarily sees its movies as a way to promote its games and other products, and the recent Donkey Kong film served as a first attempt at this strategy. Although Donkey Kong has been a key part of Nintendo since 1981 and enjoyed popularity with the Donkey Kong Country games in the 1990s, the franchise hasn’t consistently been a major success in recent years.

Nintendo recently updated the look of a popular character in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and fans have speculated this would pave the way for a Donkey Kong Country film. However, the marketing efforts following the movie’s release have hinted at something even bigger.

Last year, Nintendo highlighted Donkey Kong with the release of Donkey Kong Bananza on the Switch, and they’ve also incorporated Donkey Kong Country areas into their theme parks. Plus, a remastered HD version of Donkey Kong Country Returns became available on the Nintendo Switch around the same time.

Donkey Kong’s appearance in the first Mario movie wasn’t just a creative choice—it was a strategic move to boost sales. Interest in Donkey Kong grew after the film came out, which helped increase the popularity and profits of the Donkey Kong brand and supported related products and the theme park expansion.

While a movie is still possible, video games and theme parks generally earn much more money – often ten times more each year. A significant purpose of The Super Mario Bros. Movie was to generate excitement for future products, and this strategy will likely be used again in the years to come.

The Future For Nintendo Is In Spinning Off Its Other Brands

Nintendo is potentially still working on a Donkey Kong movie, but their ambitions extend far beyond just films. They have much larger plans that involve various types of entertainment and media.

There’s been discussion about giving Fox McCloud from Star Fox a role in the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, potentially similar to how Donkey Kong was used in the first Super Mario Movie. However, this doesn’t guarantee that Star Fox will get its own movie anytime soon.

This isn’t just about one movie; it’s about Nintendo’s overall strategy for the Star Fox franchise. Nintendo probably wants to revive the Star Fox brand and make it a key part of their plans for the future. The film likely served as a way to remind people about the character and generate excitement for upcoming Star Fox games and merchandise.

We can expect to see more Star Fox games on the Switch 2 in the future, and the character will probably also appear at theme parks. The same is likely true for the Pikmin characters, who were also recently in a movie.

Could A Smash Bros. Movie Happen Eventually?

While a movie based on Super Smash Bros. would be enjoyable, there are currently no plans to make one. Shigeru Miyamoto recently spoke to Polygon and confirmed this, directly addressing the rumors.

To start, I don’t believe all Nintendo characters would be included, unlike a game like Super Smash Bros. My guiding principle is that Pikmin can be featured in any Nintendo game series.

Honestly, I’m not surprised this is doing so well! The first Mario movie was a massive hit – it made over $1.36 billion globally! Even though the reviews for this new one aren’t quite as strong, I still think it’s going to be one of the biggest films of the year, no question.

Considering all factors, it’s difficult to see how a Smash Bros. movie with any characters beyond Mario would be more financially successful than just making another Mario movie.

Focusing on characters like Ice Climbers or Ness wouldn’t improve a Smash Bros. movie and could actually hurt it by overshadowing Mario. Plus, even though Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is a well-known brand, it earned significantly less money worldwide than the first Mario movie – less than a third, in fact.

The studio also needs to gauge how well other franchises, like the upcoming Legend of Zelda film, perform at the box office. If these other properties prove successful on their own, then exploring a Smash Bros. movie could become a viable option.

Currently, Nintendo has a clever strategy to grow its business. They plan to use The Super Mario Bros. Movie – and any future movies or related content – to essentially promote their games, theme parks, and merchandise. Overall, it’s a great time to be a Nintendo enthusiast.

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2026-04-06 04:52