'Super Mario Bros. Movie' Sequel Set to Jump into Theaters in 2026

Hold onto your power-ups and prepare for another warp into the Mushroom Kingdom because the ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ sequel is officially on the calendar for April 3, 2026! Nintendo dropped this star-studded news on a day that couldn’t be more fitting — Mario Day, celebrated on March 10 (Mar10, get it?). Fans of the franchise are already buzzing with excitement, and I’m here to dive into the details that have everyone ready to hit the play button on anticipation.

“Super Blast Mario” by JD Hancock is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary Nintendo game director, and Chris Meledandri of Illumination fame shared the announcement in a video that has since sent waves through the gaming and movie communities. The dynamic duo of directors, Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, are set to return, and they’re not just twiddling their thumbs. They’re already ‘busy at work storyboarding scenes and developing set designs for new environments.’ And if you’re wondering about the quality, Meledandri assures us they’ll be ‘obsessing over every detail to get it just right.’

The original ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ wasn’t just a hit; it was a fireball of success, raking in over $1 billion at the box office and breaking records left and right. It became the highest-grossing animated film in Universal history at the domestic box office and the third-highest of any Universal movie behind the titans ‘Jurassic World’ and ‘E.T. The Extraterrestrial.’ Critics like The Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck hailed it as a ‘labor of love,’ and the movie’s performance made sequels and spin-offs a no-brainer.

What can we expect from this sequel? Well, Miyamoto hinted at ‘broadening Mario’s world further’ with a ‘bright and fun story.’ The first film took us on a wild ride from Brooklyn to the Mushroom Kingdom, and now, with the world-building potential of the Mario universe, the sky’s the limit. We’ve seen Mario and Luigi’s origin story, but what’s next? Could we be seeing the likes of Yoshi and maybe even Wario? The speculation is as rampant as a Bullet Bill, and fans are crafting theories faster than Mario racks up coins.

The success of the first film was no small feat. As of July 2023, 168.1 million people had seen the film worldwide, and it made over $1.349 billion at the global box office. This earned it the honor of the highest global box office performance of a film based on a video game and the second-highest for an animated film. Our review called it ‘a fireball of animated fantasy,’ and it’s clear that the sequel has some big boots to fill.

As we look ahead to 2026, the excitement is palpable. Nintendo and Illumination are crafting what could be another blockbuster hit. And let’s not forget the other Nintendo projects in the pipeline, like the ‘Legend of Zelda,’ ‘Luigi’s Mansion,’ and ‘Donkey Kong’ films. Could Nintendo be the next big cinematic universe to give Marvel a run for its money? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure — the game is on, and we’re all eager players waiting for the next level.

Mark your calendars, power up your excitement, and get ready to jump back into the action. The ‘Super Mario Bros. Movie’ sequel is coming, and it’s shaping up to be another epic adventure that will have us all saying, ‘Let’s-a go!’ again.