Mario is returning to the big screen. Following the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which made more than $1.3 billion worldwide in 2023, animation studio Illumination and Nintendo are releasing a sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, in April 2026. Nintendo dropped a teaser trailer during its Direct presentation on Friday.
The teaser doesn’t offer much about the movie, which takes its name from the 2007 platformer.Mario dozes in a field before title credits appear, that’s about it. But the trailer still signifies that Nintendo will continue to churn out films aimed at turning Mario into a megafranchise.
It’s no coincidence that the trailer and accompanying announcement come just one day before the 40th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros. video game. In the four decades since that game’s release, Mario—and Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, and other assorted characters—have become cultural icons.
In 1993, Super Mario Bros. became one of the earliest videogame film adaptations. It was panned by critics and fans, but in the years since games ranging from Mortal Kombat to Tomb Raider have been turned into movies. Now, as superhero fatigue sets in and ‘90s nostalgia peaks, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which will include nodes to the entire Mario series, stands poised to continue Mario’s domination.
Considered the most successful video game adaptation ever made, The Super Mario Bros. Movie the second highest-grossing movie of 2023, second only to Barbie. The original cast, including Chris Pratt as Mario, Anya Taylor-Joy as Peach, Charlie Day as Luigi, and Jack Black as Bowser, will return for the sequel.
Alongside the news, Nintendo also announced it will release remastered versions of Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel on October 2.
