Pushing Buttons: Nintendo is making a new Mario movie – and I have an idea to make it better than the last one

In this week’s newsletter: To win over the critics, a second instalment of the $1bn box-office smash should focus more on storytelling than nostalgic iconography

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With classic oblivious timing, Nintendo chose 10 March – or Mar10 day, as the company likes to style it – to announce that it is working with Illumination Studios on another Mario movie, even though it was the Oscars that day and absolutely nobody was paying attention. Last year’s Mario movie was a smash hit, grossing $1bn and finally ending the long era of the cursed video game film adaptation once and for all, so it’s not surprising that another one is in the works for April 2026.

What is surprising is that it’s not necessarily going to be a direct sequel. Co-directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and writer Matthew Fogel will return, but neither Nintendo nor Illumination committed to calling the new film a sequel. In a video broadcast announcing “a new animated film based on the world of Super Mario Bros”, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto (that’s Mario’s dad) said: “This time, we’re thinking about broadening Mario’s world further, and it’ll have a bright and fun story.”