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The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2023

Movie · 92 min · English · April 1, 2023

Adventure comedy Animated Children's adventure

Directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael JelenicWritten by Matthew Fogel

Starring Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key

A 2023 American animated adventure comedy film based on Nintendo’s Mario video game franchise is titled The Super Mario Bros. Movie. This film was directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, with screenplay written by Matthew Fogel. Its voice cast includes Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Seth Rogen, and Fred Armisen, all part of an ensemble group. The production involved Universal Pictures, Illumination, and Nintendo. The plot centers on two Italian-American brothers, Mario (Pratt) and Luigi (Day), who are separated after being transported into another world. They find themselves caught in a conflict between the Mushroom Kingdom, ruled by Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy), and the Dark Lands governed by Bowser (Black), the King of the Koopas.

Following the poor performance of the 1993 live-action movie Super Mario Bros., Nintendo hesitated to allow its properties to be adapted into films. However, the creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, expressed interest in making another cinematic version during development of the Virtual Console service. Through his involvement with Universal Parks & Resorts creating Super Nintendo World, he connected with Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri. By 2016, they began discussing a Mario film project, and in January 2018, Nintendo confirmed that it would be produced with Illumination and Universal. By 2020, production had started, and the casting announcement was made in September 2021.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie had its premiere at Regal LA Live on April 1, 2023, followed by a U.S. release on April 5 through Universal Pictures. Critics gave it mixed reviews, but it earned $1.360billion globally, setting several box-office records. It became the highest-grossing video game-based film and the first such movie to reach one billion in revenue. During 2023, it ranked as the second-highest-grossing film, the third-highest animated film, the 15th-highest of all time, and the top-grossing release from Illumination. At the 81st Golden Globe Awards, the movie was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Song, and Cinematic Box Office Achievement—a newly introduced category. A sequel titled The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will be released in 2026.