The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Will there be a sequel?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie was released in theaters this week, and while critics weren’t overly enthused with Illumination’s CG-animated adaptation of the beloved Mario video game franchise, fans are absolutely loving it. The movie currently sits at 56% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics but a whopping 96% audience score.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie isn’t the perfect film, but it is a darn fun time. And it’s a love-letter to the video game franchise that it’s based on with plenty of fun easter eggs and references that fans are sure to notice.
Now that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out, many are already looking ahead to the potential future and whether or not this could become the latest animated movie franchise.
Will there be a sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie?
Neither Nintendo nor Illumination have made any official announcement regarding sequels to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri was asked about future films in the latest Variety cover story. Here’s what he said:
"“Our focus right now is entirely on bringing the film out to the audience, and at this time, we’re not prepared to talk about what’s coming in the future… I definitely wouldn’t rule anything out.”"
It’s not a yes, but it’s also not a no. For anyone who has seen the movie and sat through the credits, then you already know that Illumination has planted the seed for a sequel. The post-credits teaser briefly showed Yoshi’s egg in the underground pipe system starting to hatch before cutting to black. This seems to indicate that any future movie would feature the iconic green dino. Again, it’s not confirmation, it could just be a fun little nod since Yoshi wasn’t in the actual movie. But it does give fans hope for another movie and something to look forward to should it get greenlit.
In all honesty, the potential of a future sequel to The Super Mario Bros. likely depends on how this movie performs at the box office. And judging by the opening weekend numbers, Nintendo and Universal Pictures would be foolish not to fast-track a sequel. The Super Mario Bros. is on track for the biggest ever opening for an animated film, topping 2019’s Frozen 2. The movie is tracking towards a $368 million global debut across the five-day holiday weekend opening. If we’re basing the potential of a sequel on the box office, then it seems like a no-brainer.