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 Super 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, on April 28, 2023 in Japan, and on various other dates in April in other parts of the world (May 26, 2023 in the case of Poland). It is the third feature film to be based on Super 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). In the film, Mario and Luigi, two struggling plumbers, work underground in Brooklyn to fix a water main, but they end up being separated after being sucked into the Warp Zone via a mysterious pipe, with Mario ending up in the Mushroom Kingdom while Luigi ends up in the Dark Lands. Mario then teams up with Princess Peach and Toad, and the three of them go on an adventure 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, but has been received more positively by general audiences. It has been a major commercial success, setting numerous box office records for animated features within several countries and grossing over $1 billion USD. Additionally, the movie holds the record for being the highest-grossing video game film adaptation of all time.

Plot
The evil Koopa king Bowser, accompanied by his assistant Kamek and the rest of his army, invades the Snow Kingdom using his massive castle ship. The penguin inhabitants fight to defend their home by throwing snowballs, but their attacks are ineffective against Bowser, leading to them being easily defeated and captured. Bowser then burns their palace down with his fire breath and steals their most prized possession, a powerful Super Star.

Meanwhile, in New York City, the Italian-American brothers Mario and Luigi have started Super Mario Bros. Plumbing, a small plumbing business servicing the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. At the Punch-Out Pizzeria, the brothers proudly watch the commercial for the business that they spent their life savings to produce, but then encounter their antagonistic former boss Spike, who derides them for leaving him to start their own business. Undeterred, Mario and Luigi go to do their first plumbing job at a Brooklyn couple's house, but due to the interference of the couple's dog Francis, this ends in the destruction of their bathroom. The brothers return home for a meal with their family, most of whom mock their plumbing business and commercial, with only their mother being supportive of them. Mario becomes disheartened after being criticized by his father, but after he and Luigi see a newscast reporting about a significant leak in manholes throughout the Brooklyn streets, Mario promptly sees this as an opportunity for them to prove themselves and they go to fix the broken water main, only to fail again.

While exploring the sewers, they arrive at a large room filled with pipes and investigate a large green one, which sucks them into the Warp Zone. There, the two brothers are separated, with each one going into a different pipe. Mario ends up in a forest filled with large mushrooms, where he meets with the adventurous Toad, who informs him that he has arrived in the Mushroom Kingdom and that his brother has landed in the Dark Lands, which are under the control of the evil Bowser. Toad then decides to bring Mario to the kingdom's ruler, Princess Peach, who he believes can help Mario save Luigi. Meanwhile, Luigi briefly searches for Mario in the Dark Lands, where he is chased by a swarm of Dry Bones and tries to escape by hiding in an abandoned castle, only to end up being captured by a group of Shy Guys led by a Snifit.

Toad and Mario traverse the kingdom's town and reach Peach's Castle. When the Toad guards outside the door refuse to let them in, Toad distracts them to let Mario sneak in, but he is then chased by the other guards. In the throne room, Princess Peach holds a council with many Toads, where the Toad General describes Bowser's recent actions and that he is headed towards the Mushroom Kingdom, claiming that his possession of the Super Star makes their destruction inevitable. The princess, however, refuses to give up and reveals her plan to defeat Bowser by traveling to the Jungle Kingdom to form an alliance with the Kongs, despite the fact that their king usually declines alliances. The princess and Mario meet shortly afterward, with the former being surprised to encounter another human. After hearing Mario's plight and seeing how determined he is to save his brother, Peach tests his skill with a training course full of obstacles and agrees to take him with her if he can finish it. After demonstrating her own skills, she then explains that he can clear the course using power-ups such as Super Mushrooms, which make Mario bigger and stronger (which he reluctantly agrees to do despite his hatred of mushrooms). Mario fails to complete the course on many attempts, but eventually comes close enough that Peach takes him along anyway.

Meanwhile, Bowser holds a banquet for his troops in his throne room in celebration of their recent conquest and seizing of the Super Star. During this, Bowser reveals to his army that he is deeply infatuated with Princess Peach, and that his motive for acquiring the Star was to impress her and ask for her hand in marriage, much to their confusion. He then states that if she refuses, he will use the Super Star to demolish her kingdom, to the elation of the Koopa troops. During this time, Luigi is taken into a balloon by the Shy Guys that captured him, where he recalls a moment in his and Mario's infancy when Mario stood up to protect his brother from a bully who was abusing him.

In the morning, Mario and Peach begin their journey to the Jungle Kingdom, with Toad joining as well due to his desire to protect the princess. Together, they travel through several locales, such as the Bob-omb Battlefield, the Desert Area, Yoshi's Island, and the High Cliffs, on their way to the Jungle Kingdom. At one point in their trek, the trio sets up camp in the Fire Flower Fields, where Peach shares her backstory: she first arrived at the Mushroom Kingdom by walking through a Warp Pipe as a baby, then was taken in by the Toads and eventually crowned as their princess once she was ready. However, she has no memory of anything before her arrival in the Mushroom Kingdom, including where she was originally from. This leads Mario to speculate that Peach may be from the same world as him, to which Peach remarks that the universe is large and contains many galaxies.

During the heroes' quest, Bowser (while playing on his piano and singing a song expressing his obsessive love for Peach) is informed by Kamek about Mario and his association with Peach, making him see the plumber as a potential rival for the princess's affections. When Luigi is brought before Bowser, the Koopa King interrogates him about Mario. Luigi resists at first, but eventually confesses after Bowser loses his patience. Luigi is then placed in a cage above a pit of lava, where others, such as the penguins and a demented Lumalee, have also been caged.

Upon arriving at the Jungle Kingdom, the heroes are transported to the palace by a Kong driving a kart. At the palace, Peach consults the Kongs' king, Cranky Kong, and asks for his army to support them in fighting Bowser. He initially refuses to join Peach's cause, but when Mario stands up to him, he agrees to help on the condition that Mario defeats his son Donkey Kong in a duel at the Great Ring of Kong, which Mario accepts despite Peach's disapproval. During the fight, Mario initially struggles against Donkey Kong's immense strength, so he attempts to use power-ups from the several boxes set around the arena to gain an advantage. However, he accidentally eats a Blue Mushroom under the assumption that it was a Super Mushroom and gets shrunken down and flicked away by Donkey Kong. He then tries to use a Fire Flower, but it gets blown away by Donkey Kong. Mario continues to get pummeled, but remains persistent. Peach then encourages him to hit another block, which contains a Super Bell that turns him into Cat Mario. With his new speed, agility, and claws, Mario is able to dodge all of Donkey Kong's attacks and scratch him until he is finally defeated, at which Cranky Kong reluctantly agrees to help the heroes out.

At Donkey Kong's home, Peach congratulates Mario for his tenacity, while Donkey Kong is frustrated with Mario and claims to have let him win. Cranky suggests that they use karts to quickly return to the Mushroom Kingdom via a shortcut so that they can ambush Bowser and his forces during their attack. In a large garage, Mario, Peach, and Toad each create their own karts, and they drive alongside the Kongs back to the Mushroom Kingdom through a secret passage that leads to Rainbow Road. On the way back, Peach begins questioning Mario about his world and decides to visit Brooklyn sometime.

Meanwhile, Bowser is practicing his marriage proposal to Peach, with Kamek taking her place. However, they are interrupted by the Koopa General, who has discovered the heroes' plan and reports it to Bowser. At this, Bowser decides to have his army use karts of their own to ambush the heroes as they traverse Rainbow Road, with the Koopa General himself chasing Mario with a bulldozer. During the chase, Mario's kart is destroyed, but he manages to hijack another while Peach saves Toad from falling off the road. After losing his second kart, Mario hitches a ride with Donkey Kong, who fires one of his kart's Rocket Barrels to explode on the bulldozer. Infuriated, the Koopa General locks himself in his winged, spiky Blue Shell and crashes into Mario and Donkey Kong, destroying the latter's kart and a part of the road. The two plummet to the ocean below, much to Peach, Toad, and Cranky's despair, and all of the Kongs besides Donkey Kong are captured and sent to Bowser's dungeons. After landing in the ocean, Mario saves Donkey Kong from drowning, but both are then devoured whole by a large Maw-Ray.

Peach and Toad manage make it back to the Mushroom Kingdom, where Peach warns the citizens of Bowser's imminent arrival. She orders the Toads in the town and the castle to evacuate while she holds off Bowser, but Toad decides to stay at the princess's side instead of leaving with the rest of his kind, wanting to stay true to his desire to protect her. Bowser then arrives in the Mushroom Kingdom aboard his ship and finally proposes to marry Peach. She initially rejects him, but after he has Kamek torture Toad, she reluctantly agrees to the marriage on the condition that Bowser does not harm her subjects. Kamek then informs all of Bowser's prisoners that they are "invited" to Bowser and Peach's royal wedding to be ritualistically sacrificed, much to their horror (and Lumalee's delight). Meanwhile, Mario and Donkey Kong, trapped inside the Maw-Ray's stomach, despair over their situation. After attempting to bond over their issues with their respective fathers, they enter an argument as Donkey Kong begins smashing around the stomach, causing the Maw-Ray to burp and allowing them to find Donkey Kong's ruined kart. They then use its last Rocket Barrel to escape the Maw-Ray's stomach and fly back to the Mushroom Kingdom, hurrying to Peach and Bowser's wedding.

At the wedding, Bowser reveals that he intends to execute all of his prisoners by burning them in lava in Peach's honor. However, Peach punches out Kamek and reveals an Ice Flower that Toad smuggled into her bouquet, with which she freezes Bowser and the winch lowering the prisoners before holding down his army. During this, Mario and Donkey Kong arrive, but they are then shot down by a Bullet Bill, forcing them to fight through Bowser's hordes in town. Mario uses a Super Mushroom while Donkey Kong uses a Fire Flower, but both lose their abilities in the fight. Mario then finds a Super Leaf, allowing him to fly up to Bowser's ship. During the fight, Peach uses a spear to light King Bob-omb's fuse, but is then blown back by the explosion, causing her to lose the power before she could re-freeze the winch. Before the prisoners are burned, Donkey Kong arrives and manages to stop the winch with his own hands, making Cranky proud. Luigi nearly falls into the lava while trying to escape, but Mario saves him, and the two rejoice at being reunited.

Enraged, Bowser frees himself from the ice and orders for a Bomber Bill to be launched and destroy the Mushroom Kingdom. Before the Bomber Bill can hit Peach's Castle, Mario manages to knock it off course by hitting one of its eyes with his suit's tail. Angered by this, the Bomber Bill chases Mario instead, and the plumber leads it into the forest and into the pipe through which he first entered the Mushroom Kingdom. However, the resulting explosion in the Warp Zone causes everyone and everything in the surrounding area to be sucked into the pipe and transported to Brooklyn, with Bowser's ship bursting out and landing in the middle of the street, much to the shock of Spike and other citizens.

The Super Star lands in front of Mario, but a furious Bowser stops him from getting it and pummels him while blaming him for his wedding being ruined. The discouraged Mario ends up hiding in the Punch-Out Pizzeria as Bowser taunts him, and despite their best efforts to stop them, Peach and Donkey Kong are both overpowered by Bowser and his army. However, after seeing a damaged television play the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial, Mario regains his resolve and stands up to Bowser, stopping him from killing Donkey Kong. Peach then manages to kick the Super Star away from Bowser, allowing Mario to go after it. Bowser tries to incinerate him with his fire breath, but Luigi defends him with a manhole cover, allowing them both to obtain the Star and become invincible just in time. Using the Star's powers, the Mario brothers work together to defeat Bowser and his entire army. Upon his defeat, Bowser is force-fed a Blue Mushroom by Peach and shrunk to miniature size, allowing Toad to imprison him in a jar. In the end, the Mario brothers and their new friends from the Mushroom Kingdom are celebrated and hailed as heroes by the residents of Brooklyn, including Spike and the brothers' parents, with their father now proud of them. The story concludes with the brothers taking up residence in the Mushroom Kingdom and relocating their plumbing business there.

In a mid-credits scene, Bowser is shown singing another verse of his love song while imprisoned in a cage in Peach's Castle, but a Toad guard interrupts and silences him, closing the door on him mid-sentence as he complains. In a post-credits scene, a Yoshi's Egg that was originally given as a wedding gift for Bowser and Peach is seen in the Brooklyn sewers. The egg suddenly begins to hatch as the film cuts to black, followed by a creature shouting "Yoshi!"

Production
Reports on the supposed existence of an animated Super Mario film circulated as early as November 24, 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 Super 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 Super Mario film was in "priority development," and hoped that it would be released by 2022. Meledandri also noted that developing a Super Mario film is "an ambitious task," citing the challenge of adding depth to Super Mario that would simultaneously compromise generations of fans and feel organic to its 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 October 28, Khary Payton, who voices the Penguin King, described Chris Pratt’s voice for Mario at the time as a “New York, Italian guy” and similar to the “Sopranos”. However, Pratt stated that the accent was rejected during production for sounding too similar to the character Tony Soprano.

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. Day stated that his original voice for Luigi was similar to the New York mobster-themed film Goodfellas, but the directors wanted "less Goodfellas". Day responded to the change saying, “Alright! I think you’re wrong, but fine!” Day 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 Brian Tyler would compose the score for the film, which includes themes from the Super 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.

Following the film's release, concept art for the film was leaked online on April 22, 2023. The various art shows some characters, such as Toadsworth and Toadette, who were considered to appear, while others showed more of the Snow Kingdom and its land suggesting it would play a bigger role in the story, as well as some power-ups that did not make it into the final film.

One month after the film's release, in an interview with, the French voice actor of Bowser, at Metz'torii, a French event, when asked when the sequel would release, he responded that he did not know, but claimed that there would be a trilogy.

Foreign translations
In addition to English, the movie has dubs in the following languages:

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

Soundtrack
A soundtrack album for the film was released by Back Lot Music (' in-house record label) digitally and physically. The album features 37 tracks, all of which were composed by Brian Tyler with original Nintendo themes by Koji Kondo, with the exceptions of "Peaches", which was co-written and performed by Jack Black, and the "Mario Brothers Rap", which was originally composed by and  and covered by Ali Dee. The album is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music.

The film also features several licensed songs which are not in the soundtrack album, including two songs from games in the Super Mario franchise. Below is a list of these songs, in the order they appear in the film:

Staff
The movie was directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic with Pierre Leduc and Fabien Polack serving as the co-directors. Several employees from Nintendo were involved in the production, including Shigehisa Nakaue, Mahito Yokota, and Takumi Kawagoe. Kawagoe is credited in several games such as Luigi's Mansion and Mario Super Sluggers in roles relating to cinematics.

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: The website has various links and graphics the user can interact with. 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.
 * 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.
 * 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 Super 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.

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 ended 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.

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 were 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 (except for A Hero Like No Other) released simultaneously on April 11, 2023 to promote the movie. is listed as the publisher for all four of the 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. The book follows the first half of the movie's plot, ending shortly before the heroes embark on Rainbow Road. The abrupt ending of the book has caused it to receive low ratings from customers on store websites, including Amazon and Target.

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 children. It 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. Like The Super Mario Bros. Movie Official Storybook, the book omits the entire third act, and as such, it has received negative feedback on online listings.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie Official Activity Book
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Official Activity Book is a full color 48-paged paperback book 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 an upcoming 24 page full color paperback storybook that retells and follows the events from the film. It is set to release on June 27, 2023.

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 live-action film.

The film has set several box office records; it currently ranks as the highest-grossing film of 2023, has surpassed ' to become the highest-grossing film adapted from a video game, and has surpassed ' for the biggest opening weekend for an animated film. It has also surpassed  to become Illumination's highest-grossing film, and is currently the third highest-grossing animated film of all time, as well as the 18th highest-grossing film of all time overall.

Critical reception
The Super Mario Bros. Movie has received mixed reviews from film critics. It has been praised for its visuals, score, and faithfulness to the video games, while the screenplay and plot have received criticism. Some critics have found the plot to be lacking in substance and sidelined in favor of the amount of fan service. Jack Black's performance has additionally been a subject of praise.

Audience reviews were strikingly more positive, acclaiming the film for the same reasons as the critics, but some have criticized the pacing and the film's length.

John Leguizamo, who portrayed Luigi in the live-action film, criticized The Super Mario Bros. Movie for a lack of Latin representation in its cast (despite Anya Taylor-Joy and Fred Armisen having Latin heritage), and stated that he did not intend to watch the animated film.

Home release
The film is set to be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD, with the 4K version also being sold as a SteelBook depicting a Super Mushroom on the front and as a limited collectable Super Star tin. It will contain bonus content such as interviews, a music video, and a documentary. It will be available in North America on June 13, 2023. In Australia, the film is set for retail release on July 5, 2023, with the SteelBook version being made exclusive to stores. On May 16, 2023, the film was released digitally on several streaming services.

References to other media

 * Nintendo: Two roads shown in Queens on the map in the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial, located where Cross Island Parkway and Northern Boulevard would be in real life, are respectively named 1889th Street and Hanafuda Avenue; these are references to the company's founding date and its origins as a hanafuda card company, respectively. A pennant in the Mario Bros.'s apartment reads "Slugger Mate", another name for the . A sticker of Nintendo's logo is on the side of Mario's TV.
 * 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 New York City. Giuseppe resembles Mario's original design from the game and is seen playing the "Jump Man" arcade machine at Punch-Out Pizzeria, a game that directly parodies the original game in sounds, artwork, and level design. Cranky Kong's guards have hammers for weapons. In the Great Ring of Kong, the platform Mario and Donkey Kong stand on is a red girder. Barrels and blue ladders can also be seen in the same scene. The towels some of the Kongs in the audience have depict Donkey Kong's sprite from this game. As Mario beats Donkey Kong, a piano arrangement of the tune that plays when Donkey Kong climbs 25m is heard. 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. "Opening" is arranged in the track "Drivin' Me Bananas". Audio from this game is played on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website. Donkey Kong's design in the movie is slightly based on Miyamoto's design of Donkey Kong from this game.
 * Donkey Kong Jr.: Similarly to what happens in this game, Cranky Kong is locked up in a cage and is later rescued by his son.
 * Mario Bros.: The Mario Bros. go into a manhole and attempt to fix a big overflowing water main in the New York City sewers. They go even deeper into the sewer when both stumble upon a warp pipe that transports them to the Mushroom Kingdom. In the preceding newscast, scrolling text repeatedly mentions sightings of "giant underground crabs" in the area.
 * : The game's boxart is seen in a poster in Mario's room.
 * : The ducks and environment from this game appear as paintings in Punch-Out Pizzeria, and a duck appears on a wooden sign in Brooklyn when the Mario Bros. run to the Brooklyn couple's building. A painting of the dog is briefly seen hanging in the Brooklyn couple's apartment, before the Mario Bros. enter the bathroom. While the Mario Bros. are navigating Brooklyn, a French restaurant in Brooklyn named Chasse au Canard, the French translation of the game's title, can be seen.
 * Golf: The game's boxart is seen in a poster in Mario's room.
 * : The game's title appears in the ticker text during the news broadcast.
 * : Artwork of the Balloon Fighter appears as a sign in Brooklyn.
 * : A headline in the ticker text during the news broadcast reads, "Stolen vegetables recovered by ice climbers", referencing the Ice Climbers and the vegetables they collect. 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. Arranged music from the game is also heard when he appears.
 * : A poster featuring sprites from this game appears in Mario's room.
 * Nintendo Entertainment System: Mario owns the actual console and is seen playing Kid Icarus on it in the beginning of the film. 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 make a cartridge work properly.
 * Super Mario Bros.: The 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. Various sound effects from this game are used in the score, and the Warp Pipe sound can be heard several times throughout the film. The table markers in Punch-Out Pizzeria resemble Goal Poles. 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 hole Mario and Luigi make after crashing into the underground brick wall is in the shape of Small Mario's head. The mysterious pipe system in which Mario and Luigi find the Warp Pipe is in an area labeled as "Level 1-2". 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 mushroom retainers' quote, "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!", is referenced in the film by a blue Toad while trying to dissuade Mario from entering Peach's Castle. 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. In Luigi's flashback, the flag Baby Luigi holds has the emblem of the Goal Pole flags. The Ground Theme, Underground Theme, Underwater Theme, Castle theme, Super Star theme, Ending BGM, "Hurry Up" jingle, "Lost a Life" jingle, and "Course Clear" fanfare are arranged in the film's score. One of the reviewers on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website is named "anothercaserole", a reference to the mushroom retainers' quote. Another Super Mario Bros. Plumbing reviewer is named "dunnadunnadunna", a vocal interpretation of the main melody of the Underground Theme.
 * Family Computer Disk System: A shop named "Disk-kun Hardware Co.", which features the character in its logo, appears in Brooklyn.
 * The Legend of Zelda series: On the map in the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial, a road in Queens (which is actually supposed to be a block of the real-life Hollis Avenue) is named "Link Street", after the franchise's main character. Mario's father bears a strong resemblance to Talon, a Mario lookalike from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
 * Metroid series: A headline in the news broadcast ticker text mentions FS-176, a solar system containing most of the planets in the Metroid games.
 * : The Video Wrestling Association is mentioned in the ticker text during the news broadcast. A poster featuring two wrestlers from the game, Starman and The Amazon, is seen in Mario's room.
 * 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 film. 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. A restaurant named Punch-Out Pizzeria appears in the film, 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.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen! : The scene where Mario is playing with his NES is similar to the one in the 1986 film where he plays with a Famicom.
 * 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. The opening notes of the Ground Theme are arranged in the credits theme, "Level Complete". After Peach shows Mario how to complete the Training Course, she floats down the Goal Post using her skirt, much like her special skill in the game.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: The Brooklyn couple's house features a framed piece of artwork resembling the green triangular texture patterns used for hills in this game. 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. When Mario runs from some Toad Guards in Peach's Castle, the sound he makes when skidding across the hallway is identical to the dashing sound from this game. The Tanooki Suit, which debuted in this game, 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 the film's score. The Koopa Troop's territory is the Dark Lands. The P-Meter sound effect and the drum sample are used in the track "Press Start". The piano Bowser plays has Ludwig von Koopa's name on it. The voxel map Peach uses makes the "world map start" sound effect when the Mushroom Kingdom forms.
 * The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!: The Mario Rap is used for the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing ad campaign. Two posters for the film use lyrics from the rap.
 * Dr. Mario series: "Chill" is arranged in the track "Fighting Tooth and Veil".
 * Super Mario World: The game's coin sound effect plays when the first Toad hits a Coin Block. A Dragon Coin, ! Blocks, Power Balloons, keys, and Trampolines styled after the ones from this game can be spotted in the antique store. Cape Feathers appear in the teaser poster. The Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial in the film depicts the brothers wearing capes. The voxel map makes the Item Stock and Valley of Bowser thunder sound effects when the Jungle Kingdom and Dark Lands form, respectively. Rotating Blocks appear in the Training Course. The map of Peach's Castle and its surrounding areas shown by Cranky Kong resembles the world map from this game. The Ground Theme, Athletic Theme, Ghost House theme, and Castle theme are arranged in the film's score. The sound effect of Yoshi spitting out an object is used in "Press Start".
 * 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 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: "ILLU", "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. 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 film. The Koopa General has a winged Spiny Shell, which he uses to blast Mario and Donkey Kong off of Rainbow Road, just like in these games.
 * Super Mario Kart: The title theme and the Rainbow Road theme are arranged in the track "Buckle Up".
 * Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins: During the evacuation of Toad Town, a crate can be seen holding stubby carrots with curved, flattened leaves, which resemble the Carrots from this game.
 * Super Mario Bros. (film): Some of the story is adapted from the original film, notably the brothers stumbling into the other world while dealing with a flood under Brooklyn and later returning during the final battle when the other world begins intruding upon it. Mario and Luigi are sometimes seen posing with a wrench and plunger respectively, similar to certain promotional images for the film.
 * 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 arranged in the tracks "Courting the Kongs" and "Drivin' Me Bananas", while "Theme" (the title theme), which in turn is an arrangement of "Opening" from Donkey Kong, is arranged in the latter.
 * 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, and it is briefly walked through on the way to the Jungle Kingdom.
 * Super Mario 64: A cannon from this game appears. The Main Theme and "Inside the Castle Walls" are arranged in the film's score. Bob-omb Battlefield appears in the film. King Bob-omb appears at Bowser and Peach's wedding. A Maw-Ray appears. Bowser's laugh is used in "Press Start". One of the attacks used by the Mario Bros. against Bowser in the final battle involves grabbing him by his tail, spinning him, and tossing him upwards, similar to the attack used to defeat Bowser from this game.
 * : A headline in the ticker text during the news broadcast mentions "R. Hayami" winning a wave race despite his average stats, referencing and his stats in-game.
 * 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.
 * Mario Party: Wario's Battle Canyon is arranged in the track "Blue Shelled."
 * Donkey Kong 64: Part of the DK Rap is played when Donkey Kong is introduced. Chunky Kong also makes a small cameo in the film.
 * 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. When the Mario Bros. use this attack against Bowser in the final battle, it sends him downwards, referencing the move's meteor-smash qualities. Additionally, many of Donkey Kong's attacks during his fight with Mario resemble several of his attacks in the games, notably his forward smash and forward aerial. Luigi and Peach also use moves from this series.
 * Paper Mario: The Koopa Troopa rock band members with red and purple mohawks playing Fury Bowser's theme in the film wear spiked arm bands (with the latter wearing pointed sunglasses) like the Koopa Troopas in this game. Bowser's Castle is an enormous, floating vessel as in this game, complete with ball and chains and a figurehead depicting Bowser's face.
 * Nintendo GameCube: The console's startup jingle plays when clicking the phone icon on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website. It is also used in the film as Luigi's phone call ringtone.
 * Luigi's Mansion series: Luigi uses a flashlight and calls Mario's name 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, a street in Queens (located where Farmers Boulevard would be in real life) is named "Mansion Street". Notes from the Main Theme are arranged in the track "The Darklands". King Boo (in his Super Mario design) appears at Bowser and Peach's wedding.
 * Pikmin series: A statue of a Pikmin appears in the Brooklyn couple's residence.
 * Super Smash Bros. Melee: Bowser's back-up plan upon Peach rejecting him is to launch an explosive Bomber Bill onto the roof of her castle, like the stage from this game.
 * Super Mario Sunshine: While the Mario Bros. are attempting to drive their van, a travel agency called Super Sunshine Travel Agency, complete with a sign and decor featuring the "Sunshine" part of the logo, dolphins resembling Isle Delfino, and suns that resemble Mario's life meter can be seen. This is also one of the images on the Super Mario Bros. Plumbing website. The shower bottles found in the Brooklyn couple's shower are from a brand called Shine.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Asking about the business' 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 in the official teaser trailer, though the sound is very faint.
 * Mario Power Tennis: During the opening of the scene where Bowser rallies his troops, a background gag occurs where a Shy Guy takes off his mask and the surrounding enemies have horrified reactions, similar to the scene in this game where Luigi is spooked upon seeing what is under the Shy Guy's mask.
 * New Super Mario Bros. series: The "Super Mario Bros." part of the series' logo is used in the logo for Super Mario Bros. Plumbing. A "paah" and the P Switch music are incorporated in the track "Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom". 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 Mini Mushroom appears with its design and behavior carried over from the series, also making the same sound effect from the games when used.
 * : The chef from this game appears on the salt and pepper shakers in Punch-Out Pizzeria.
 * Wii: The icon for the unknown caller on Luigi's phone resembles a faceless Mii.
 * Super Mario Galaxy: The husband of the Brooklyn couple is seen reading a book entitled "GALAXY", featuring the Gateway Galaxy's primary planet on the cover. A Lumalee makes an appearance and makes a Luma sound in the scene where he is introduced and before the credits. Bats from this game make an appearance. Mario's landing position in the Mushroom Forest mimics his position in the Mushroom Kingdom at the ending cutscene. The whistle heard in the Toad Brigade theme from this game is used in "Level Complete", as well as an arrangement of Gusty Garden Galaxy's theme. An arrangement of the Toad Brigade theme itself is used in the track "Strange New World", which plays when Toad is introduced in the film. An arrangement of Deep Dark Galaxy's music plays when Luigi is first seen in the Dark Lands. The track "King Bowser" is arranged in "Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom".
 * New Super Mario Bros. Wii: The hills and Mushroom Platforms surrounding Peach's Castle resemble those from this game. Two Bramballs appear. This game's coin sound can be faintly heard when the second Toad hits a Coin Block while the sound that Yoshis make when stomping on enemies can be heard when Toad squashes a Goomba with his frying pan in an advertisement. 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 her. The Fire Flower bobs in promotional artwork as it does in this game. The Ice Flower also makes an appearance with the ability to freeze enemies. The Ghost House theme is arranged in the film's score.
 * Super Mario Galaxy 2: Bowser is shrunken to a small size after his defeat, much like his appearance during the credits of this game. A Dash Pepper icon appears on a bottle of hot sauce in Punch-Out Pizzeria on Foreman Spike's table.
 * 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. This game's specific arrangement of "Opening" from Donkey Kong and "Theme" from Donkey Kong Country, used on the title screen, is rearranged in "Drivin' Me Bananas". Rambi's emblem from this game can be seen on the kart of the Kong that drives Mario, Peach, and Toad to Cranky's temple.
 * Super Mario 3D Land: A Boomerang Flower can be seen in the antique store. Biddybuds and little birds appear. One of the Mushroom Platforms in the second teaser poster is purple with magenta spots, just like the Poison Mushrooms in this game.
 * Mario Kart 7: Mario, Peach, and Toad arrive at Cranky's lair 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. The cliffs surrounding the bridge of jumping Cheep Cheeps that Mario, Princess Peach and Toad walk across resemble those in Sparkling Waters.
 * 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 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: The countdown sound from this game is used for the Illumination logo. The logo of the news station uses the cloud from Mario Kart TV's logo. The menu music from this game is arranged in the track "Karts!" A design on the vehicle-building machine references the Wii U GamePad's functionality as a horn. The item roulette sound from the game is heard when the characters spin the rolls in the machine. 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. Mario and Luigi's Mystery Mushroom costumes from this game appear for Nintendo's logo. Builder Toads can be seen when Toad and Mario travel across lifts. The Training Course is a reference to this game.
 * 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 Desert Area visited in the film is the Sand Kingdom from this game. 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. The food bowls in the Mario Bros.'s apartment have a similar pattern to the Inverted Pyramid from the game. Furthermore, a book named  and figure of a sheep wearing a sombrero from that game are both seen on a shelf in the same location. The music tracks "Fossil Falls" and "Mount Volbono: Town" are arranged in "Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom" and "The Mushroom Council" respectively.
 * Mario Tennis Aces: In the scene when Mario and Luigi greet their family, a photo of Mario in his tennis outfit and resembling from this game is seen.
 * Super Mario Maker 2: A Super Hammer appears on a sign at the construction site. In the film's final battle against Bowser, Invincible Luigi briefly uses a Dry Bones Shell as a shield.
 * 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.

References in later media

 * Nintendo Switch: An advertisement for several Super Mario games for the Nintendo Switch uses various gameplay footage to mirror several scenes from the film. Most notable is the Training Course being recreated within Super Mario Maker 2; Mario succumbs to a Fire Bar, Bullet Bill, and falling Donut Block in the recreation, as he does to dummies of these three in the film.

Differences from the video games

 * The characters have various significant characterization differences compared to their original video game counterparts, most notably Mario, Princess Peach, and Donkey Kong.
 * The film uses a different origin story for Mario and Luigi from the one depicted in the Yoshi's Island series onwards, being Brooklyn natives like in early media predating the series, including the original Mario Bros. arcade game, the DIC cartoons and the 1993 film.
 * Just like in the DIC cartoons and the 1993 film, Mario and Luigi have a Brooklyn accent, though they do use their Italian accents in their plumbing commercial.
 * Peach is shown to have come to the Mushroom Kingdom as a baby, when the Toads found and raised her and later crowned her their princess, instead of being born into her position as implied by Super Mario Bros., Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, and Yoshi's Island DS.
 * Like in Super Mario Odyssey, Bowser plans a forced wedding to Peach, but unlike it, as Mario and Peach have not been established as love interests like in the games, Mario's motivations lie in saving Luigi instead of stopping Bowser from marrying Peach, and does not attempt to directly stop the wedding or propose to her.
 * Kart-racing is a part of the Kongs' culture and are featured as weapons, instead of vehicles for friendly competitions.
 * Koopa Troopas and Koopa Paratroopas wear helmets and carry weapons.
 * When Mini Mario takes damage, he reverts to his normal form rather than being defeated.
 * Mini Mushrooms are referred to as "Blue Mushrooms".
 * The Tanooki Suit grants Mario infinite flight capability, similarly to a P-Wing.
 * The Ice Flower is capable of freezing Bowser, unlike the games.
 * The effects of the Super Star last longer.
 * The Spiny Shell is known as the "Blue Shell", and due to belonging to the Koopa General, it attacks Mario and Donkey Kong, instead of Peach and Toad, who are in the lead.
 * Banzai Bills are referred to as "Bomber Bills".
 * Donkey Kong Island is a kingdom referred to as the Jungle Kingdom, ruled by Cranky Kong with Donkey Kong being the heir to the throne.
 * A society of generic Kongs live in the Jungle Kingdom.
 * Fire Peach is not depicted with a ponytail.
 * Peach wears a helmet when riding her bike, unlike the games, where she doesn't.
 * Funky Kong wears his Donkey Kong 64 attire rather than his modern design.
 * Cat Mario is depicted with visible claws.
 * Pauline acts as the mayor of New York City instead of New Donk City.

Quotes

 * "I've finally found it. And now no one can stop me!!" - Bowser
 * "Mushroom Kingdom, here we come!" - Mario (Teaser trailer only)
 * "Alright... Let's-a go." - Mario (Official trailer only)
 * "There's a huge universe out there... with a lot of galaxies." - Princess Peach
 * "Thank you for calling Super Mario Bros. 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)
 * "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.
 * The Super Mario Bros. Plumbing commercial is presented in pillarboxed widescreen, and as the camera pans to show the Mario Bros., the aspect ratio widens to the cinematic anamorphic aspect ratio.
 * There is an error after Luigi inadvertently defeats a Dry Bones. As he says, "You just got-a Luigi'd!", the back locks in his hair suddenly snap into place.