We’re now less than a year away from NBCUniversal’s next Mario movie, but almost nothing’s been revealed about the sequel so far beyond a release date. We might, however, finally have a name to go with that limited information, thanks to a hastily deleted official leak.
In a press release shared overnight, NBCUniversal detailed a few of its key movie, TV, and streaming releases for 2025 and 2026. On the film front, these included the likes of Wicked: For Good, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, plus more Shrek and Minions – and, most notable for the purposes of this story, a little something called Super Mario World.
It appeared to be quiet confirmation that a name for NBCUniversal’s Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel has now been settled upon; one immediately conjuring visions of an adventure set beyond the familiar confines of the Mushroom Kingdom while also giving grown-ups of a certain age a little blast of nostalgia as memories of the 1990 Super Nintendo classic resurface.
However, no sooner did NBCUniversal give, it tooketh away, quickly scrubbing all mention of Super Mario World from its press release. Presumably, an irate Miyamoto had hightailed it to the doorstep of the NBCUniversal boss’ house, steam blasting from his ears and a tea table held aloft in his shaking palms. If Super Mario World is the new movie’s name, it’s likely Nintendo will be wanting to reveal that itself in a special Direct, much like it did last time.
Whatever it ends up being called, the second animated Super Mario Bros. movie is currently set to hit US cinemas on 3rd April, with a Japanese release scheduled for 24th April and all other territories likely somewhere in-between. And if it’s anything like its breezy but entertaining predecessor, expect plenty of bums on seats and more smashed box office records. To date, the original has generated over $1.36bn, making it the highest grossing film based on a video game of all time – although this year’s Minecraft movie is closing in fast.