The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an animated movie produced by Nintendo in collaboration with and Illumination, co-produced by Mario franchise creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Illumination co-founder Chris Meledandri. It was first announced during a financial briefing on January 31, 2018, and was released on April 5, 2023 in North America and many other regions, and will be released on April 28, 2023 in Japan, and various other dates in April and May 2023 in other parts of the world. It is the third feature film to be based on Mario, following the Japan-only animated film Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen! (1986) and the largely unsuccessful Super Mario Bros. live-action film (1993). The film's plot focuses on Mario and Luigi, while working underground in Brooklyn to fix a water main, being separated after being sucked into the Warp Zone via a Warp Pipe and ending up in the Mushroom Kingdom and the Darklands respectively, with Mario, Princess Peach, Toad, and others venturing to stop Bowser from taking over the world and rescue Luigi from him.

A teaser trailer for the film was broadcasted in the form of a Nintendo Direct presentation online and at on October 6, 2022 at 16:00 ET. A second trailer was released in a dedicated Nintendo Direct on November 29, 2022 at 17:00 ET. An official clip and commercial were revealed at. A third Nintendo Direct featuring the film's final trailer premiered on March 9, 2023 at 17:00 ET, one day before Mario Day in western countries like the United States and on Mario Day in eastern countries like Japan.

The film has received mixed reviews from critics; it has been praised for its visuals, soundtrack, and faithfulness to the video games, while the screenplay and plot have received criticism.

Plot
The film opens with a brief scene where Bowser, accompanied by his army, invades an icy kingdom, captures its penguin inhabitants and burns their palace to the ground, and steals a powerful Super Star. This cuts immediately to an origin story where Mario and Luigi are introduced as plumbers in New York City who have recently started their own plumbing service, a struggling small business servicing Brooklyn and the neighboring borough of Queens. The family disapproves of the Mario brothers' decision to leave their steady job to start the business, with only Mario's mother approving of his decision. Their antagonistic former boss, Foreman Spike, also derides Mario for making this choice. After a slapstick scene in which one of their plumbing jobs becomes a disaster due to being disrupted by a violent dog, Mario and Luigi see a newscast reporting about a significant leak in manholes throughout the Brooklyn streets. The brothers then take it upon themselves to attempt to fix the broken water main. However, Luigi falls down a mysterious Warp Pipe and disappears, prompting Mario to go in after him. The two end up being sucked into the Warp Zone and are separated in the process, with Mario finding himself in the magical Mushroom Kingdom.

Upon landing in the Mushroom Kingdom, he meets Toad, who informs Mario that his brother has landed in the Darklands, which are under the control of Bowser, who intends to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom. Toad suggests asking for help from the kingdom's ruler, Princess Peach, then takes Mario on a tour of the realm, eventually leading him to Peach. Meanwhile, Luigi is seen in the Darklands, where he is chased by Bowser's forces and tries to escape, but ends up being captured by a group of Shy Guys.

At Peach's Castle, Peach is introduced and explains to Mario that Bowser is coming to invade her kingdom. Knowing of the fate the Ice Kingdom met with at Bowser's hands, the princess reveals that she plans to form an alliance with the Jungle Kingdom to stop him. Seeing how determined Mario is to save his brother, she tests her potential hero with a Training Course full of obstacles, which will orient him with the super abilities and physics the kingdom offers, and agrees to take him along if he can finish it. However, Mario fails the course, but eventually he comes so close to completing it that Peach is left with no choice but to take him along, with Toad coming as well. Meanwhile, Bowser rallies the Koopa Troop for his plan to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom, then expresses through song his obsession with the princess, revealing that he wants to take over the kingdom only because he desires to marry her. No sooner does he finish singing this than Kamek comes to inform him about Mario's arrival into the Mushroom Kingdom; however, Bowser says he is not concerned about this. Then some other members of the Koopa Troop alert him to Mario's presence, causing Bowser to see this stranger as a rival for Peach's affections. Afterward, he has Luigi brought before him and interrogates him on Mario's whereabouts. Luigi resists at first, but spills the beans after Bowser loses his patience; the tyrant subsequently orders his Shy Guy guards to imprison him by placing him in a cage above a sea of lava, where others, such as Lumalee and the penguins, have also been caged by Bowser's minions.

Mario, Peach, and Toad are then seen journeying through an abundance of locales, such as Tostarena, Bob-omb Battlefield, and Yoshi's Island, before eventually reaching the Jungle Kingdom. Along the way, Peach explains to Mario about the abundance of ? Blocks in the worlds they are exploring, saying that they are filled with all kinds of items that can give him the upper hand against potential oppressors. Once in the Jungle Kingdom, Peach consults King Cranky Kong to recruit an infantry of Kongs to support them. He refuses to join the princess's cause, but later accepts on the condition that Mario defeat his son, Donkey Kong, in a duel. The fight goes off to a shaky start at first, but after remembering what Peach said about power-ups, Mario uses one of the boxes to transform into Cat Mario. He then goes on to dodge Donkey Kong's barrels, chase him around wielding a hammer, and scratch him until the ape is ultimately defeated.

Cranky is then willing to help the heroes out. He suggests that Mario, Peach, and Toad (joined by the Kong clan) use karts to return to the Mushroom Kingdom, by way of the space-faring Rainbow Road. Upon their drive back, Bowser's army learns about their plans and decides to ambush the heroes as they traverse Rainbow Road. The Koopa General chases Mario with his bulldozer and fires two Bullet Bills knocking him off his kart, but Mario hijacks one of the Koopa soldiers' karts, crashes the driver's shell into another soldier's armored car, and has it explode on the bulldozer. The General then gets up, locks himself in his winged blue Spiny Shell, and crashes on the two, destroying a part of the road. Mario and Donkey Kong plummet to the ocean below, and the rest of the Kongs are captured and sent to Bowser's dungeons. Peach and Toad, however, survive and make it back to the Mushroom Kingdom, where Peach warns the citizens of Bowser's imminent arrival and orders them to evacuate. Mario and DK are later revealed to be alive in the ocean depths, but a Maw-Ray quickly appears and consumes them both. After Bowser arrives aboard his flying castle and proposes, Peach rejects him, but after he has Toad tortured, she says that she will marry him. Meanwhile, Mario and Donkey Kong escape the Maw-Ray through the rocket from DK's kart and hurry to Bowser and Peach's wedding. In the process, Mario exploits multiple power-ups including the Super Mushroom and the Super Leaf, and DK also makes use of power-ups himself, such as the Fire Flower.

At the wedding reception, where Bowser intends to execute all his prisoners publicly by burning them in lava, Toad smuggles in an Ice Flower and gives it to Peach, who freezes Bowser and holds down his army, while Luigi is freed along with the other prisoners, leading to the brothers being reunited. Toad and Donkey Kong help to fight off the invading Koopas, but Bowser frees himself and gives the order for Banzai Bills to be fired onto the ground to destroy the kingdom. Mario diverts one of the Banzai Bills away from Peach's Castle and into the pipe that sent him to the Mushroom Kingdom. However, this causes elements from the Mushroom Kingdom to be transported to Brooklyn. Enraged, Bowser pounces on Mario and nearly knocks him out, but Luigi helps him up, and the plumber brothers obtain a glowing Super Star that Bowser dropped, and use its invincibility to work together to defeat Bowser and his entire army. Upon his defeat, the Koopa King is shrunk with a Mini Mushroom and placed in a bottle. In the end, the Mario brothers are celebrated and hailed as heroes by the residents of Brooklyn and their new friends in this alternate world. Mario's father says that he is now proud of him, and the story concludes with the victorious brothers taking up residence in the Mushroom Kingdom.

In a mid-credits scene, Bowser is shown playing the piano while in a cage. Toad suddenly shows up and tells Bowser to keep quiet, leading the latter to complain before a Toad guard closes the door, interrupting his sentence. In a post-credits scene, a Yoshi Egg can be seen sitting in the Brooklyn sewers. The egg suddenly begins to hatch, revealing Yoshi who shouts out his name.

English

 * Chris Pratt as Mario
 * Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach
 * Charlie Day as Luigi
 * Jack Black as Bowser
 * Keegan-Michael Key as Toad
 * Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong
 * Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek
 * Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike
 * Juliet Jelenic as Lumalee
 * Eric Bauza as Koopa Troopa soldiers and Toad General
 * Khary Payton as the Penguin King
 * Jessica DiCicco as Mario and Luigi's mother and a yellow Toad
 * Charles Martinet as Mario and Luigi's father and Giuseppe
 * Rino Romano as Uncle Tony
 * John DiMaggio as Uncle Arthur
 * Scott Menville as Koopa General
 * ??? as Diddy Kong

Japanese

 * Mamoru Miyano as Mario
 * Arisa Shida as Princess Peach
 * Tasuku Hatanaka as Luigi
 * Kenta Miyake as Bowser
 * Tomokazu Seki as Toad
 * Kōji Takeda as Donkey Kong

Other characters

 * Koopa Troopas
 * Koopa Paratroopas
 * Dry Bones
 * Penguins
 * Toads
 * Red Toads
 * Yellow Toads
 * Green Toads
 * Blue Toads
 * Purple Toads
 * Toadette
 * Chanterelle
 * Cheep Cheeps
 * Biddybuds
 * Bloopers
 * Blooper Babies
 * Spiny Cheep Cheeps
 * Jellybeams
 * Urchins
 * Shy Guys
 * Kongs
 * Dixie Kong
 * Funky Kong
 * Kiddy Kong
 * Swanky Kong
 * Chunky Kong
 * Bob-ombs
 * Buzzy Beetles
 * Piranha Plants
 * Goombas and Goomba Towers
 * Spinies
 * Sledge Bros
 * Hammer Bros
 * Snifits
 * Bullet Bills
 * Banzai Bills
 * Yoshis
 * Yoshi
 * Red Yoshis
 * Yellow Yoshis
 * Light Blue Yoshis
 * Pink Yoshis
 * Black Yoshis
 * Bramball
 * Pauline
 * Little birds
 * Bats
 * Chain Chomps
 * Baby Mario
 * Baby Luigi
 * Baby Peach
 * Maw-Ray
 * King Bob-omb
 * King Boo

Items and objects

 * 1-Up Mushroom
 * Coins
 * Coin pile
 * Fire Flowers
 * Fruit
 * Ice Flower
 * Mini Mushroom
 * Super Leaves
 * Super Mushrooms
 * Super Star
 * Trampoline
 * Turnips
 * Yoshi's Egg

Production
Reports on the supposed existence of an animated Mario film circulated as early as November 2014 following the, when it was revealed in leaked emails sent by , , , and Michelle Raimo Kouyate that was trying to secure the film rights to Mario for years, though Arad has denied that such a deal was made.

In November 2017, more reports about the film's existence began to arise. Nintendo's then-president, Tatsumi Kimishima, stated in January 2018 that a deal had not been finalized, but that an announcement would come soon. By the end of January 2018, Nintendo affirmed that the film would indeed be moving forward, having closed a deal with Illumination. This marked Illumination's first film based on an existing intellectual property to not be an adaptation of a book.

Several days after the deal was made, Shigeru Miyamoto explained why Illumination was chosen for the project over other animation companies, saying he had been interested in producing an animated film for quite some time and, contrary to popular belief, making a movie and making a game are completely different procedures. Miyamoto wanted someone with experience in the film industry to co-produce the film, and after talking with numerous directors and producers, he was introduced to Illumination through, with whom Nintendo was making a theme park. Miyamoto also stated that when he began talks with Chris Meledandri, the latter read numerous interviews about him and felt that they had a similar approach in creation. Miyamoto described Meledandri as having experience in the field of animation beyond Illumination, having been executive producer of  and other animated projects for, as well as being "extremely cost-conscious and time-conscious in his quest to make successful movies." Miyamoto also mentioned that Nintendo and Illumination had mutually agreed to call the deal off if neither company could come up with an interesting premise, but also noted that the screenplay had been hashed out a number of times and discussions were in progression, hoping to provide more information once the schedule had been ironed out. Miyamoto would later state in early 2020 that the idea for the film came from bringing Nintendo's legacy content to services such as the Virtual Console; such transitions took time for the company, and Miyamoto viewed that as an opportunity to develop Nintendo's content business even further by combining its long-beloved software with video assets.

On November 6, 2018, Meledandri said that he was glad the 1993 film Super Mario Bros. was not well-received, citing the primary reason being that the producers did not involve Nintendo, whereas Illumination was "embracing" Miyamoto and keeping him "front and center" in the film's creation. He said that Illumination's Mario film was in "priority development," and hoped that it would be released by 2022. Meledandri also noted that developing a Mario film is "an ambitious task," citing the challenge of adding depth to Mario that would simultaneously compromise generations of fans and feel organic to his iconography as well as supporting a three-act structure. By February 1, 2019, production of the film had formally begun; according to Nintendo, the funds for the production process were being jointly supplied by it and Universal.

Before details on the film's cast were formally announced, Sebastian Maniscalco offhandedly mentioned in a YouTube podcast uploaded on August 5, 2021 that he would be voicing the character Spike from the 1985 game Wrecking Crew in the movie, who would be portrayed as the "boss" of Mario and Luigi.

The September 23, 2021 Nintendo Direct presentation featured an appearance from Shigeru Miyamoto, in which he announced the movie as being scheduled for release in the 2022 holiday season (with a planned release date of December 21, 2022 in North America) and revealed its English cast list. On the same day, the press release announced Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic as directors, with Matthew Fogel writing the screenplay. On April 25, 2022, a post on Nintendo of America's Twitter account announced that the movie's release would be delayed to spring 2023 and revealed the North American and Japanese release dates.

On January 26, 2022, Charlie Day revealed that he was recording his lines for the movie, plot details were being hidden from him, and he knew nothing about the film. He later expressed interest in doing a Luigi's Mansion spin-off film in an interview on February 18, 2022.

Ed Skudder, the creator of animated series ' and ', revealed himself to be the head of story for the film on his profile.

In The Super Mario Bros. Movie Direct on October 6, 2022, it was announced that would compose the score for the film, which includes themes from the Mario games, in collaboration with game composer Koji Kondo.

Prior to its release, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was revealed to have some short songs. On October 6, 2022, Jack Black announced that Bowser would have a "musical side" in the film, and on October 12, 2022, Keegan-Michael Key revealed to  that he improvised a song as Toad, calling it "an absolute blast".

On February 28, 2023, it was announced on the movie's social media accounts that the release date for the film would be moved to April 5, 2023 in the United States and more than 60 other countries, two days ahead of the initial release date.

On March 23, 2023, it was announced that press screenings of the movie had officially begun.

Foreign translations
In addition to English, the movie is confirmed to be dubbed into the following languages:
 * Arabic
 * Bulgarian
 * Cantonese
 * Catalan
 * Croatian
 * Czech
 * Danish
 * Dutch
 * Estonian
 * Finnish
 * Flemish
 * Canadian French
 * European French
 * Georgian
 * German
 * Greek
 * Hebrew
 * Hindi
 * Hungarian
 * Icelandic
 * Italian
 * Japanese
 * Latvian
 * Lithuanian
 * Taiwanese Mandarin
 * Norwegian
 * Polish
 * Brazilian Portuguese
 * European Portuguese
 * Romanian
 * Russian
 * Serbian
 * Slovak
 * Slovenian
 * European Spanish
 * Latin American Spanish
 * Swedish
 * Thai
 * Turkish
 * Ukrainian
 * Vietnamese

Additionally, a version of the movie in English with Japanese subtitles will be released. The movie will also be available in English as an option in many other territories where English is not a native language, with locally translated subtitles.

McDonald's
On October 6, 2022, a Happy Meal promotion with toys based on The Super Mario Bros. Movie was leaked. In December 2022, McDonald's launched the promotion and released two distinct lines of toys, each one in a specific set of countries that differs from the other's.

SMBPlumbing.com
A promotional website with the URL "SMBPlumbing.com" went live in February 2023. It acts as the official website of the fictional Super Mario Bros. Plumbing service operated by Mario and Luigi in the movie. The site's home page opens with a statement that Super Mario Bros. Plumbing is family-owned and operated, followed by the tagline "Fixing pipes is our game!" and an embed of a commercial for the service. On March 9, 2023, the page was redesigned with additional content. The page continues with the following sections:
 * About Us: Features an overview of Super Mario Bros. Plumbing signed by Mario and Luigi. In it, the brothers introduce themselves enthusiastically, stating that they "aim to one-up the competition with [their] expert white-glove service". Additionally, they claim to have opened the service because they "were tired of dealing with spiky bosses", a nod to Spike and inadvertent foreshadowing of their encounter with Bowser in the movie.
 * Testimonials: Features nine written reviews of Super Mario Bros. Plumbing by former customers. Three of them, penned by users SpikeIsCool (Spike), BrKLnCouple, and dunnadunnadunna, are negative, with the first calling the brothers disloyal and subpar, the second stating that "SMBP left my house an absolute MESS!", although conceding that their dog "absolutely loved" Mario and Luigi, and the third stating that they did not hear from the brothers after they went underground. The other six reviews are positive and praise the brothers for their service. One review is written by the brothers' mother, under the username "BrosMom", who describes them in an affectionate light and notes that they treated her "like family". Another review by a user named "Pipe_Dreamz" praises their "amazing looking water," referencing MARIO WiiU, a Miiverse user known for constantly praising the water effects in various Wii U games. A positive review was left by someone with the username "jump.man", a reference to "Jumpman", what Mario was called in instructions for the arcade version of Donkey Kong. On April 3, 2023, a testimonial by a user named "CollegeHoopsters" was added whose message contains a video link. In the video, several college basketball players endorse the business, including, , , Jared McCain, , Meechie Johnson, , , , and (referred to as "Emmanuel" in the video).
 * Careers: A listing of various job positions at Super Mario Bros. Plumbing, namely dispatcher, bookkeeper, marketing manager, and driver.
 * Service Area: A graphic of the two regions of New York the business operates in, Brooklyn and Queens. The user must first solve a fake to access this section.
 * Van Tour: The actual tour of the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing van. This section is not present on the website outside of the United States. The van visited the following locations at these times:
 * Austin, Texas: March 10
 * New York, New York: March 10, March 30
 * Boston, Massachusetts: March 24-26
 * Los Angeles, California: April 1
 * San Francisco, California: March 20-24
 * Live Chat: A chatbot where the user can ask and respond with pre-written messages.

The website has various links and graphics the user can interact with.
 * In the website's header, the "Call or Text Us At 929-55-MARIO" tag plays the Nintendo GameCube start-up jingle when clicked on. By calling the provided number, Luigi tells the caller to text the same number for service and to visit the website. Texting the number causes Super Mario Bros. Plumbing to give the option to sign up for updates on the film; if the texter sends "ON THE DOUBLE" after signing up, it causes Super Mario Bros. Plumbing to send their business card. Booking an appointment leads to the movie's Fandango page or the official website in other regions. If a text is sent containing one of the available careers in the message, the business responds by saying that the texter got their chosen career and sending an image relating to that career.
 * In the opening section, when clicked on, the "Certified Super!" seal of approval plays an enhanced version of the power-up sound effect from Super Mario Bros.; the "" sign plays the race countdown sound effect from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe; and the manhole under the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing van used to lead the user to a poster of The Super Mario Bros. Movie featuring Bowser and Kamek overlooking the Koopa Troop. After the site's update, it leads to a link to the final trailer.
 * In the "About Us" section, when clicked on, the "24/7 Emergency Services!" sign plays the jumping sound effect from Super Mario Bros., immediately followed by the same sound effect slowed down.
 * In the "Testimonials" section, when clicked on, the invalid file icon leads to a page showing three Warp Pipes. Each pipe plays a different enhanced version of the pipe entrance sound heard in the Mario games; clicking on the middle pipe, right pipe, and left pipe in that order causes the page to play an arrangement of the Ground Theme from Super Mario Bros. Clicking on the middle pipe, left pipe, and right pipe in that order makes Mario jump out of the middle pipe and plays the Underground Theme. Inspecting the website's console output after visiting the 404 error page shows an  version of a Lumalee.
 * In the "Careers" section, when clicked on, the "Apply Now" button used to lead the user to a web page informing them that the application process is still being worked on prior to the site's redesign. After the redesign, the button leads to a clickable list of jobs. Clicking on any of them leads back to the main page.
 * In the "Service Area" section, failing the CAPTCHA plays the sound of Bowser breathing fire while completing it plays the item roulette sound from Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Clicking the Brooklyn portion of the map plays audio from the Donkey Kong arcade game while clicking the Queens portion plays audio from the Family Computer Disk System version of Kid Icarus. Booking an appointment leads to the movie's Fandango page or the official website in other regions.

The website, outside of its real life legal notice, is shown as copyrighted in 2023 and built by Mario and Luigi. Since the redesign, attempting to access the site with the smbplumbing.com address from non-English speaking countries will automatically redirect the user to their local equivalent.

Brazilian carnival
On February 18, 2023, Bloco Happy, one of the s in, promoted the film by giving The Super Mario Bros. Movie-branded Mario and Luigi caps and inflatable tubes. A  decorated with posters of the film was also present.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Social Show
On March 1, 2023, a contest by Italy, entitled "Super Mario Bros. Il Film Social Show" (The Super Mario Bros. Movie Social Show), began. To enter, participants had to upload a photo or video showing their passion for the franchise on the contest's website at SMBsocialcontest.it, or post the content on or  with a mention to Universal Pictures Italy's account and the hashtag #mammamiachemario. The first prize was an invitation for two people to a fan screening of the film on April 5, 2023 in, while the second prize were two tickets for the convention which took place from March 30 to April 2, 2023. Merchandise promoting the film could also be won. The contest ended on March 23, 2023 and the winners were decided on March 24, 2023.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Giveaway
On March 8, 2023, a giveaway sponsored by began. To enter, participants must go to the giveaway's webpage, press on the ? Block, and fill in the form. Completing the form shows a clip from the movie. For each day that the promotion is active, entrants can redeem one more chance to win a prize. 50 grand prize winners will be given two tickets to, ten first prize winners will be given a 50 dollar Amazon gift card, and 20 second prize winners will be given the "7-inch Feature Bowser with Fire Breathing Effects". The giveaway ends on April 30, 2023.

Fandango The Super Mario Bros. Movie Sweepstakes
On March 9, 2023, a sweepstakes sponsored by began. To enter, a participant had to purchase a ticket to The Super Mario Bros. Movie using Fandango's website or fill in the form at supermariosweepstakes.com. Doing either of these actions gave one sweepstakes entry; up to ten entries could be obtained per person. The prize of the sweepstakes was four tickets to the Los Angeles premiere of the movie, a round airline trip to and from Los Angeles, a 500 USD check, and two nights at a hotel. The sweepstakes ended on March 24, 2023.

Princess Peach's Radical Saturday
On March 11, 2023, an event sponsored by in Brazil took place in, in , to promote the film. The event, entitled "sábado radical da Princesa Peach" (Princess Peach's Radical Saturday), featured the Brazilian skateboarder and a life-size replica of Mario's kart for attendees to take a picture with.

Soundtrack
A soundtrack has been released via Back Lot Music (' in-house record label) and.

Lush
On March 24, 2023, a collection of skin care products promoting the film, labeled Lush × The Super Mario Bros. Movie, was released by Lush.

Lollapalooza Brazil
The 2023 edition of the Lollapalooza festival in Brazil, which took place on March 24–26, featured a promotion of the movie sponsored by. Once again, the life-size replica of Mario's kart was displayed, among other attractions, like a Piranha Plant and a ? Block.

Early viewing contest in Portugal
From March 24 to March 29, 2023, a contest was held in Portugal for an early screening. Winners will be allowed to watch the film one night ahead of the general release in and  at 7 p.m. on April 4, 2023. To enter, contestants had to like PressStart gaming outlet's and Universal Pictures Portugal's Instagram feeds and share them with two friends.

Publications
The following books have been announced to be releasing simultaneously on April 11th, 2023 to promote the movie. is listed as the publisher for all following titles.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Official Storybook
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Official Storybook is a 32-page hardcover picture book written by Michael Moccio.

Mario's Big Adventure
Mario's Big Adventure is a full color paperback 24-page entry into Random House's Step Into Reading series, aimed at younger kids. The title is written by Mary Man-Kong. The book's reading level is listed at a level 3 "Reading On Your Own", aimed at a kindergarten level.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Official Activity Book
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Official Activity Book is a full color 48-paged paperback written by Michael Moccio. The book contains mazes, word searches, removable cardstock characters and a background to create a playset and other various activities.

A Hero Like No Other
A Hero Like No Other is a 24 page full color paperback storybook that retells and follows the events from the film.

Release
The film had its premiere on April 1, 2023 in Los Angeles. Much of the cast and crew were present including Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, and Sebastian Maniscalco. The red carpet itself featured a mushroom theme to it, some of the cast wore outfits corresponding to the characters they voice, and the life size Super Mario Bros. Plumbing van was also shown, being driven by Pratt with Day as a passenger.

Box office
Prior to the movie's release, it was initially projected to gross at least $85 to $90 million in the domestic box office over the opening 5-day period - a projection that is considered to be on the conservative side. Later, projections were increased to $125 million in the domestic box office and $225 million in the worldwide box office over the same period. On opening day, the movie grossed $66.4 million worldwide, surpassing the lifetime global box office gross of the original 1993 movie.

Critical reception
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has received mixed reviews from critics.

References to other media

 * Nintendo: Two roads shown in the map in the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial are named 1889th St and Hanafuda Ave, which are references to the company's founding date and its origins as a hanafuda card company, respectively.
 * Game & Watch series: A sign at a construction site depicts a Game & Watch character using a shovel.
 * Donkey Kong: Pauline appears as the mayor of Brooklyn. Giuseppe resembles Mario's original design from the game, seen playing the "Jump Man" arcade machine at Punch-Out Pizzeria. In the coliseum, the platform Mario and Donkey Kong stand on is the red girders from the level 25m. Barrels and blue ladders can also be seen in the same scene. The sound that plays when Donkey Kong obtains a Fire Flower is the same one that plays when a barrel is broken with a hammer in the NES version of the game. As Mario beats Donkey Kong, the arrangement of the music of DK climbing the 25m is heard. Cranky Kong's guards have hammers for weapons. Audio from this game is played on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website.
 * Nintendo Entertainment System: Mario owns the actual console and plays it in the beginning. The Toad at the antique store asks about an NES cartridge, to which the clerk tells them to blow into it, referencing a popular real-life method to cause a cartridge to work properly.
 * : Artwork of the Balloon Fighter appears as a sign in Brooklyn.
 * : The Polar Bear appears on one of the signs in Brooklyn.
 * Wrecking Crew: Foreman Spike appears in the film, with "Wrecking Crew"-branded work clothes.
 * : A poster featuring sprites from this game appear in Mario's room.
 * Super Mario Bros.:The 8-bit sprites of Mario, Luigi, and a ? Block (albeit in their modern colors) are featured in Nintendo's opening title with the original Ground Theme and the "Course Clear" jingle playing. the Warp Pipe sound from this game can be heard several times throughout the movie. The bridge over a sea of jumping Cheep Cheeps that Mario, Princess Peach and Toad walk across is very similar to World 2-3 from this game. A screenshot of the exterior of a fortress can be seen inside the antique store and a nearby barrel contains axes. The store's "open" sign is styled after this game's in-game logo. The Ground Theme, Underground Theme, and Underwater Theme are arranged in this film's score. One of the reviewers on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website is named "anothercaserole", a reference to the Mushroom People's quote, "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!". The same quote is said in the movie by Blue Toad while trying to dissuade Mario from entering Peach's castle. Another reviewer is named "dunnadunnadunna", a vocal interpretation of the main melody of the Underground Theme. The positioning of the building number, the crates and cans on the scaffolding, and the vent above them in the construction site Mario and Luigi run through resembles that of the first group of blocks encountered in World 1-1. After running through the construction site, Mario slides down Castle Burger's sign as if it was a Goal Pole, complete with the sound effect. The Castle Burger building resembles the fortress from this game. The mysterious pipe system in which Mario and Luigi finds the Warp Pipe is in an area labeled as "Level 1-2". An arrangement of the Ending BGM plays during Bowser's and Peach's wedding.
 * Family Computer Disk System: Diskun appears on a sign in Brooklyn.
 * The Legend of Zelda series: On the map in the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial, a road in Queens named "Link Street" is shown, which is a reference to Link. Mario's father bears a strong resemblance to Talon, the Mario lookalike from Ocarina of Time.
 * Kid Icarus: Audio from the Family Computer Disk System version of the game is played on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website. Mario is seen playing the game in his room at the beginning of the movie. The NES cartridge is seen during the credits.
 * On the map in the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial, a location in Brooklyn named "Punch Out" is shown. In the thumbnail for the video on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website, it is shown to be a pizzeria (referred to as Punch-Out Pizzeria on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website), with the logo harkening back to the NES Punch-Out!! logo. On the Brazilian and French versions of the website, one of the testimonials mentions eating mac and cheese at the restaurant, making reference to Little Mac. Pictures of various opponents from the franchise can also be seen in the restaurant.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2: The design of the poster featuring Toadette is based on the title screen of this game. Magical Potions can be seen in the antique store. Part of the game's Ground Theme is arranged in the film's score. After Peach shows Mario how to do the training course, she floats down the Goal Post using her skirt, much like her special skill in the game.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: Music Boxes, P Switches, P-Wings, Lakitu's Clouds, anchors, treasure chests as they appear in this game's Toad Houses, and a hammer can be seen in the antique store. On the back wall of the store is a picture of Princess Peach as she appears in this game's letters. The Tanooki Suit, which debuted in Super Mario Bros. 3, also appears. The sign above the vertical lift Mario and Toad use resembles the world maps from this game. The Ground Theme, Athletic theme, Toad House/P Switch music, Spade Panel minigame music, Airship Theme, and Hammer Bro mini-boss music are arranged in this film's score. The Koopa Troop's territory is the Darklands. The piano Bowser plays has Ludwig von Koopa's name on it.
 * The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!: The Mario Rap is used for the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing ad campaign. Two posters for this film use lyrics from the rap.
 * Super Mario World: The game's coin sound effect plays when the first Toad hits a Coin Block. A Dragon Coin, ! Blocks, Power Balloons, and keys and Trampolines styled after the ones from this game can be spotted in the antique store. Cape Feathers appear in the teaser poster. One of the two commercials for Super Mario Bros. Plumbing depicts the brothers wearing capes. Rotating Blocks appear in the training course. The map of Peach's Castle and its surrounding areas resemble the world map from this game. The Ground Theme and Fortress theme are arranged in this film's score.
 * F-Zero: A poster in Mario's room resembles the North American and European boxart of this game.
 * Mario Kart series: The opening logo for Illumination features a Minion in a kart at a starting line, with the letters of the logo lighting up similar to the countdown lights held by Lakitu from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! onwards (in order: "IILU", "MINA", and "TION"). The Minion revs the engine before the second set of lights are lit, causing his kart to backfire, as a reference to failing a Rocket Start. A Rainbow Road appears, which Mario, Peach, Toad, and the Kongs drive karts on (or, in Peach and Cranky Kong's case, bikes). Mario's vehicle resembles a mix of the Standard Kart M and the Pipe Frame, Peach's vehicle resembles the Mach Bike, Toad's vehicle resembles the Tiny Titan, and one of the Koopa Troop's vehicles resembles the Bullet Bike. Additionally, Peach wears her biking outfit in the movie. The Koopa General is a winged Spiny Shell. The Rainbow Road theme from Super Mario Kart is arranged in this film's score.
 * Super Mario Adventures: Peach's personality heavily reflects the one she had in the comics: fierce and brave, but still kind, always putting her friends' well-being first.
 * Donkey Kong Country series: The Jungle Kingdom is based on Donkey Kong Island. Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, and Swanky Kong appear in a brief cameo. DK Island Swing is heard when the protagonist reaches the Jungle Kingdom's gate.
 * Star Fox series: A model Arwing rests on top of Mario's television while he plays Kid Icarus.
 * Super Mario All-Stars: Various signs around the Mushroom Kingdom use sprites from this game.
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: Yoshi's Island appears on the model of the surrounding land masses in Peach's Castle.
 * Super Mario 64: A cannon from this game appears in the teaser poster. The Main Theme and Inside the Castle Walls are arranged in this film's score. Bob-omb Battlefield appears in the film. King Bob-omb appears at Bowser and Peach's wedding. A Maw-Ray appears.
 * Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!: Swanky Kong is in his attire from this game.
 * Yoshi's Story: At the construction site are crates that have pictures of grapes and bananas on them which resemble their depictions from this game. Later, watermelons with zig-zag lines appear on a fruit stand, resembling the watermelons from this game.
 * Donkey Kong 64: Part of the DK Rap is played when Donkey Kong is introduced. Chunky Kong also makes a small cameo in the movie.
 * Super Smash Bros. series: During a fight with Donkey Kong and against a wooden cutout of Bowser, Mario does an overhand punch in midair, which resembles his forward aerial from Super Smash Bros. Melee onwards.
 * Nintendo GameCube: The console's startup jingle plays when clicking the phone icon on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website. It is also used as Luigi's phone call ringtone.
 * Luigi's Mansion series: Luigi uses a flashlight in a similar fashion to this game series. In the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing voicemail, Luigi mentions (and puts emphasis on) a mansion when listing examples of residences customers may own. On the map shown in the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial, there is a street called Mansion St. When Luigi is exploring the Darklands, notes from the original game's theme are arranged. King Boo (in his classic form) appears at Bowser and Peach's wedding.
 * Super Mario Sunshine: One of the images on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website features a sign with the "Sunshine" part of the logo and suns that resemble Mario's life meter.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Asking about the business's background on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website informs the user that they specialize in their "patented Double Dash Drainage".
 * Mario Party 5: A Wiggler sound can be heard right before Mario meets Toad, though the sound is very faint.
 * Super Princess Peach: Koopa General shares some traits with Army Hammer Bro: both share the role of leader of Bowser's soldiers, they wear spiked helmets, and end up perishing at the end.
 * New Super Mario Bros. series: The "Super Mario Bros." part of the series' logo is used in the logo for Super Mario Bros. Plumbing. As Mario exits a Warp Pipe in Mushroom Kingdom, a "paah" is played. A fortress, as it appears in the series, can be seen in the background when Mario lands in the Mushroom Kingdom for the first time. The P Switch music is arranged in the movie's score. The Mini Mushroom appears with its design and behavior carried over from the series.
 * New Super Mario Bros.: A Koopa Troopa is transformed into a Dry Bones after his flesh is incinerated by Bowser's fire breath, which is reminiscent of Bowser's transformation into Dry Bowser after being dropped into lava.
 * Super Mario Galaxy: Lumalee makes an appearance. Bats from this game make an appearance. The whistle heard in the Toad Brigade theme from this game is featured in the film's score. An arrangement of the Toad Brigade theme itself plays when Toad is introduced in the film. A rendition of Gusty Garden Galaxy is featured in the score. An arrangement of Deep Dark Galaxy's music plays when Luigi is first seen in the Darklands. Mario and Luigi run with their arms stretched out after being powered up by the Super Star, similarly to when Rainbow Mario is running at top speed. A Luma sound can be heard as Lumalee appears at the end of the film before the credits.
 * New Super Mario Bros. Wii: The hills surrounding Peach's Castle resembles the hills from this game. A Bramball appears. This game's coin sound can be faintly heard when the second Toad hits a Coin Block. During the scene where Donkey Kong and Mario defend the Mushroom Kingdom from the Koopa Troop, the power-up sound effect from this game plays when Mario eats a Super Mushroom. Multiple Koopa Clown Cars use cannons in their mouths to spit cannonballs, akin to the spiked bombs from this game. Kamek is shown dressed as Peach in a scene where Bowser is practicing his proposal to the princess. The guards at Princess Peach's castle's gate seems to be Blue Toad and Yellow Toad. The Ice Flower also makes an appearance.
 * Super Mario Galaxy 2: Bowser is shrunken to a small size after his defeat, much like his appearance during the credits of this game.
 * Donkey Kong Country Returns: A pair of Rocket Barrels, as originally seen in this game, appears as part of Donkey Kong's kart. Mario and Donkey Kong ride a Rocket Barrel to escape the Maw-Ray's mouth.
 * Super Mario 3D Land: A Boomerang Flower can be seen in the antique store. Biddybuds and little birds appear.
 * Mario Kart 7: Mario, Peach, and Toad arrive at the Jungle Kingdom via a kart with a glider. On the machine that builds vehicles are reels that resemble the vehicle parts menu.
 * New Super Mario Bros. U: Rocky peaks that resemble the formations seen at Rock-Candy Mines appear. Two Stone-Eyes appear in the background of the Sand Kingdom scene.
 * Mario Kart Arcade GP DX: In one of the posters, the pose Mario is in resembles a pose he takes in this game's key artwork.
 * Super Mario 3D World: Toad and Mario travel through a Clear Pipe, which debuts in this game, to reach Peach's Castle. Mario briefly runs like how he does in this game after reaching the top of the construction site. Voxel Super Bells can be seen at the front of the antique store. Cat Mario appears during the fight with Donkey Kong. Some trees resemble those from this game. Diamond-patterned blocks from this game appear. Upon his defeat, Bowser is shrunken down and sealed inside a glass bottle, similar to his fate shown in the credits for this game.
 * Mario Kart 8: The countdown sound from this game is used for the Illumination logo. The menu music from this game is remixed in the film's score. A design on the vehicle-building machine references the Wii U GamePad's functionality as a horn. The sound of Toad's horn is directly from this game. Anti-gravity is used in the Rainbow Road scene.
 * Super Mario Maker: The custom cursor on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website is the same as the one found in this game's Course Maker. amiibo Sprites of Mario and Luigi from this game open up the credits at the start of the movie. Builder Toads can be seen when Toad and Mario travel across lifts.
 * Super Mario Odyssey: A Crazy Cap store appears. Patches designed after the Fossil Falls, Tostarena, and Peach's Castle stickers from this game appear on Toad's backpack. The Sand Kingdom is actually visited in the film. Also, Bowser and Peach are seen wearing the same wedding outfits that originated from this game. As Bowser practices his proposal, he holds a bouquet of Piranha Plants. The Maw-Ray's design is the same from this game.
 * Super Mario Maker 2: A Super Hammer appears on a sign at the construction site.
 * Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury: Fury Bowser's theme plays when Bowser rallies his army for his plan to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom.

Quotes

 * "Mushroom Kingdom, here we come!" - Mario (Teaser trailer only)
 * "Alright... Let's-a go." - Mario
 * "There's a huge universe out there... with a lot of galaxies. They're all counting on us." - Princess Peach
 * "Thank you for calling Super Mario Brothers Plumbing! It's-a me, Luigi! Ah, if you need service, please-uh text us the same number you just called! 929-55-MARIO! That's 929-556-2746! Message us about any issues wherever you live! House, condo... mansion? And we'll be sure to text you back right away, because at Super Mario Brothers Plumbing, we don't say, 'Let's-a wait'; we say, 'Let's-a go!' Oh, and uh, check out our website smbplumbing.com! We're still working on it, so.... more updates to come. Buh-bye!" - Luigi (Super Mario Bros. Plumbing voicemail)
 * "I've finally found it. Now who's gonna stop me!?" - Bowser
 * "DO NOT TOUCH THAT MUSHROOM, YOU'LL DIE!" - Toad
 * "That is but a taste of our fury. Do you yield?" - Penguin King

Trivia

 * The Universal Pictures logo in this film runs shorter than its usual appearances.