Nintendo wants to be 'more actively involved' in film production

Nintendo achieved great success in the film field with “Super Mario Bros. Movie”, which grossed more than $1.3 billion at the global box office. Now, Nintendo is preparing to release “Super Mario Galaxy Movie” in 2026, and the live-action “Legend of Zelda” movie will be released in 2027. More movies based on Nintendo titles what may happen nextNintendo now says it wants to “be more actively involved in film production.”

Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa Nintendo's latest financial report Nintendo is passionate about filmmaking because it believes movies can be long-term assets for the company as it looks toward a future beyond gaming.

Nintendo has an internal division called Nintendo Pictures that is experimenting in the video space, including latest pikmin shorts. But Nintendo Pictures won't be the team handling future feature films — that job will be done by established Hollywood studios like Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment.

“For movies, there is an established business framework for distribution companies to manage movies. Past experience shows that following the established structure and carefully creating content will bring profits,” Furukawa said.

Furukawa said Hollywood is a mature machine with a “proven business model,” but Nintendo Studios is a new division trying to “address various challenges in areas that are not yet clearly formed.”

Furukawa said: “The recently released 'Close to You' Pikmin-themed short video is an experiment based on this concept. We hope to continue to provide this kind of content that generates enthusiasm around the world and develop it into an important asset for Nintendo.”

Nintendo hasn't announced any more movies besides the live-action Legend of Zelda movie, but there are already Rumors about the Donkey Kong movie.

Nintendo also recently discussed its overall philosophy on filmmaking. The company says it doesn't just license its properties to movie studios. Instead, Nintendo participated in the financing and was “deeply involved” in the production. For example, Shigeru Miyamoto produced The Super Mario Bros. Movie and will serve as a producer on the Super Mario Galaxy Movie and The Legend of Zelda movie. Just started filming in New Zealand.

“Super Mario Bros. Movie” grossed $1.36 billion at the global box office, ranking as the second-highest-grossing movie of 2023, behind “Barbie” ($1.44 billion). super mario bros movie rated The 18th highest-grossing film of all time.

“It has been loved by a wide audience, including those who have played the Mario games, those who are less familiar with the game, and people of all ages from children to seniors,” Nintendo said. “What's most pleasing to us about the film, and not just the measurable results, is the glowing reviews we've received from so many people.”

Nintendo's gaming business is booming right now, thanks in part to the recently launched Switch 2. More than 10 million units sold to datebecoming Nintendo's fastest-selling platform ever. Nintendo is enthusiastic about its sales potential this holiday season, recently raising its sales forecast for the console to 19 million units from 15 million for the fiscal year ending in March 2026.