Most people probably assumed that the smashing success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie gave a Yoshi flutter jump boost to Switch game sales. And now, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser has reiterated that it did indeed have a positive impact beyond just the money it generated at the box office.
Speaking with IGN, Bowser was asked whether The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which made over $1 billion at the box office, postively influenced Switch game sales. "We absolutely did see a bit of a halo effect, if you will, from the movie on our video game business in a number of ways: whether that's players re-engaging in content, or whether that's players purchasing new software, Mario software and games, or whether it's even at our Nintendo Store players purchasing attire and plushies and other things," Bowser said.
Last month, Nintendo stated in its most recent earnings report (April-June 2023) that the film "positively impacted sales of Mario-related titles," specifically mentioning Mario Kart 8. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is one of the biggest movies of 2023, even making more money than Disney's Frozen. In fact, it's the third-highest grossing animated film ever--only behind Frozen 2 and The Lion King (2019).
Going forward, it'll be intriguing to see whether the Mario movie could power up sales of the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which releases October 20. It will be the first brand-new Mario game since the animated film premiered. Plus, GameSpot's Super Mario Bros. Wonder preview mentions that it "may launch an entirely new trajectory for the series going forward."
For families, Super Mario Bros. Wonder director Shiro Mouri explained that his daughters fighting over Peach in previous games helped lead to making Daisy playable in co-op. For those playing with friends across the world, the title aims for "entirely positive" chill vibes with online.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is now streaming on Peacock, as well as available digitally and on Blu-ray/DVD.
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