The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel’s release date for Japan has been announced. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, announced ahead of the Nintendo Direct that the movie will be released on April 26, 2026 in Japan.
The announcement came via a Twitter/X post where Miyamoto added, “We are working with the Illumination team to make it a fun movie, so please continue to look forward to it.”
This confirms that the Mario sequel will actually be released in Japan after its release in the US and other regions. Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri revealed back in March that the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be released on April 3, 2026, in the US and other select regions.
It may not come as a surprise, given that The Super Mario Bros. Movie was released first in the US on April 5, 2023, before releasing in Japan on April 28, 2024.
While plot details are still anyone’s guess, Miyamoto had said back in March that the team is “thinking about broadening Mario’s world further, and it’ll have a bright and fun story.”
The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel will be directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, and the script will be written by Matthew Fogel. The movie will be co-produced by Melendandri and Miyamoto. Universal Pictures will be distributing the movie globally.
Nintendo and Illumination’s Mario movie was a blockbuster hit as it grossed $1.36 billion at the global box office, made a $559 million profit, and became the most successful video game movie adaptation of all time.
