Super Mario Bros. is perhaps the most well-known video game franchise of all time, and Nintendo is now branching the IP out into a theme park. Variety reports some new details about the park, which aims to fully immerse players in the Mushroom Kingdom when it opens on February 17th, 2023 at Universal Studios Hollywood. That’s coming just ahead of The Super Mario Bros. Movie hitting theaters on April 7th, 2023.
There will be several different interactive games, including a POW block game that requires the player to hit it at the right time in order to launch a Koopa shell through a green warp pipe. The final game has players battling with Bowser using their silhouette projected onto a screen. You can also buy a Power-Up Band, which will earn you points in various ways while visiting the park. You can later spend these points using your Nintendo console.
One of the most exciting attractions, Bowser’s Challenge, will have parkgoers riding on a track while wearing VR goggles. They’ll be able to steer through courses in an experience very similar to the Mario Kart games, but with a more realistic feel.
It’ll also include the usual theme park staples, including a meet-and-greet with some iconic characters such as Princess Peach, a souvenir called the 1-Up Factory, and a Toadstool-themed restaurant. Menu items include the Piranha Plant Caprese, a bowl of Super Mushroom Soup, a Luigi Pesto Chicken Burger, a Princess Peach Cupcake, and a Mario Bacon Cheeseburger.
A similar theme park opens up in Tokyo, Japan on the same day, and another is under construction in Universal Studios Orlando and is expected to open sometime in 2025.
Will the Mario Franchise Break Out of Just Videogames?
Universal Pictures
Mario first appeared in 1981 and has appeared in hundreds of video games since then. While he’s mostly been relegated to games (and plenty of merchandise, of course) it looks like Nintendo is planning to make an empire out of their most recognizable intellectual property. It’s not a coincidence that the park opens up less than two months before the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The iconic Italian plumber has been on the big screen before, in a 1993 live-action movie that was a box office flop. There was also a short-lived animated TV show a few years before that.
It’s taken three decades for Mario to appear in theaters again, and Nintendo is hedging their bets on a box-office hit. Illumination Studios has released a few impressive trailers and has revealed the voices of a star-studded cast that’s too star-studded according to some fans. While some argue that the original voice actors from the video games should also lend their talent to the film, others acknowledge that film, as a different medium, requires a different approach.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie releases on April 7th, 2023. Illumination Studios animates the film, with a voice cast compromising of Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Seth Rogen, and Keegan Michael-Key. Universal Pictures is set to distribute the movie.
