Nintendo's latest movie calendar outlines several franchises based on its most popular video game IP. Video game adaptations have become a popular commodity in Hollywood, with titles like The Last of Us, Fallout, and Resident Evil extending the success of the existing game franchises. Nintendo has jumped on the game adaptation bandwagon as well, commissioning movie adaptations of its biggest hits, such as Super Mario Bros. Movie and the upcoming The Legend of Zelda film.
Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa commented on the company's upcoming film slate in a recent quarterly earnings presentation, sharing that following the release of the Super Mario Bros. Movie and its sequel, Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the company is now looking ahead to launching its next major IP in film: The Legend of Zelda movie. The live-action film was highlighted on a slide as Nintendo's major release for 2027, with a current release date of April 30, 2027.
The presentation noted that Nintendo is currently "establishing a framework for ongoing releases of films based on Nintendo IP," with President Furukawa adding that after The Legend of Zelda's release, "we plan to continue delivering movies in the years that follow." Nintendo's slide included poster imagery for the Mario and Zelda films, as well as blank "?" placeholders hinting at further sequels or other games to be adapted from the Nintendo library.
Interestingly, the slide in the presentation referred to "movies and videos". While Furukawa didn't elaborate on the video output Nintendo has planned, the studio did recently begin releasing a series of online shorts based on its IP, with the latest being a Pikmin short film. These animated Pikmin shorts will be released monthly by Nintendo.
This latest Pikmin short clocked in at under 60 seconds, suggesting that this planned content series will be more bite-sized than the shorts Nintendo has released in the past, such as the 2020 Pikmin short that ran for 8 minutes.
Depending on how popular the Pikmin shorts are, it could entice Nintendo to commission more short animations based on the game, or perhaps turn the property into a full-blown series. The game is one of the most beloved of Nintendo's IPs, and after a brief tie-in with the Super Mario Galaxy Movie, the Pikmin are ripe to become one of Nintendo's next screen franchises.
The Pikmin shorts were launched in honor of Nintendo's Pikmin Day, with the animated short series designed to add to the array of content planned for the celebration. Nintendo could look to employ similar animated short films for its other franchises on major anniversaries or annual celebrations as part of its planned video component.
Outside of Pikmin, the short video format is something Nintendo may use to launch more of its IP into the screen space. Franchises like Kirby, Animal Crossing, and Star Fox could all easily be considered for the animated short treatment, which could then gauge whether there is a large enough audience to invest in these projects further.
Even side characters from existing Nintendo projects, like Donkey Kong or the Lumas from the Super Mario Bros. movies, could be spotlighted in these kinds of animated videos, which could then serve as the basis for Nintendo's next major film franchises.
What's Next on Nintendo's Movie Calendar?
While Nintendo wasn't ready to unveil more about what's on its slate in this financial quarter, there are already several hints about what could be next for the major entertainment company's film arm.
Nintendo already has one date earmarked on its slate, with a mystery Untitled Illumination/Nintendo Event Film spotted on Universal Pictures' release calendar. Illumination and Nintendo partnered on the Super Mario Bros. films, suggesting this 2028 release could be a third one of these movies, or is possible the rumored Donkey Kong spin-off animated film, which might explain why the Kong family was absent from the Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
While Nintendo will dabble with the live-action realm in 2027's The Legend of Zelda, animation still appears to be a core focus for the studio, particularly given the style of many of its popular franchises. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie set up the potential for a handful of spin-offs featuring Nintendo characters, many of which seem very likely given the franchise's success, which has earned over $2 billion at the box office.
Outside these core pillars, many of Nintendo's franchises remain ripe for adaptation, whether it's Fire Emblem, Metroid, or a much-hoped-for Super Smash Bros. crossover film.
