Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo’s Live-Action Licence
Forgotten TV & Film · 1993
Archived on
Region
United States
Associated With
Nintendo - source property and merchandising-rights holder
Defining Feature
A live-action Mario adaptation set in Dinohattan
Status
Historical event - US release on 28 May 1993
Overview
Super Mario Bros. brought Nintendo’s game characters into a live-action American feature film in 1993.
Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo played Mario and Luigi, with Dennis Hopper as King Koopa. The adventure took the plumbers into a parallel reptile world promoted as Dinohattan, with Goombas among its inhabitants.
Directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, the film was shot in Wilmington, North Carolina, during 1992. It opened in Los Angeles and New York on 28 May 1993.
Why It Mattered
The Los Angeles Times reported in August 1992 that Lightmotive obtained the movie rights while Nintendo retained merchandising rights. The arrangement separated permission to make the film from the continuing control of merchandise based on Nintendo’s characters.
Production and US Release
- AFI preserves conflicting Hollywood Reporter production-chart dates of 5 and 6 May 1992 for the start of principal photography in Wilmington, North Carolina.
- Principal photography ended in late July 1992, according to AFI.
- The film opened in Los Angeles and New York on 28 May 1993; AFI records the same date as its US release date.
Dinohattan on Screen
- AFI credits Bob Hoskins as Mario Mario, John Leguizamo as Luigi Mario and Dennis Hopper as King Koopa.
- A Hollywood Pictures press-kit letter dated 20 May 1993 calls the reptile dimension Dinohattan and advertises eight-foot-tall Goombas.
- AFI lists Lightmotive, Allied Filmmakers and Cinergi Productions among the production companies, with Hollywood Pictures as presenter.
Sources & Records
AFI Catalog: Super Mario Bros. (1993)
Provides credited directors, producers and production companies; traces 1990 rights development, 1992 Wilmington production, Disney’s distribution acquisition and the 28 May 1993 US release.
This Ain’t No Game — Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack Advertisement
A 29 May 1993 Billboard advertisement identifies Nintendo licensing and prints copyright notices for Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Allied Filmmakers and Nintendo.
Movies: The Bros. Mario Get Super Large
Reports Lightmotive’s 1990 Nintendo deal, the reported $2 million payment, Nintendo’s retained merchandising rights, the $40 million budget figure and the converted North Carolina cement-factory setting.
Exploring the Unpublished Archives of Super Mario Bros.: The Movie
Draws on the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé’s Jake Eberts archive to document script revisions, production correspondence, budget pressure and identified 1993 production artwork.
Super Mario Bros. Promotional Items: Hollywood Pictures Press Kit
Preserves a dated Hollywood Pictures press-kit item describing the film as inspired by Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. games and distributed as a 1993 release campaign.
Gallery
Credit
Super Mario Bros. The Movie Archive
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
US theatrical promotional poster for Super Mario Bros., presenting Mario and Luigi in mechanical boots beneath the Summer ’93 tagline.