Nintendo enjoyed enormous success in the film department with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which earned more than $1.3 billion worldwide. Now, Nintendo is gearing up to release The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in 2026, with a live-action The Legend of Zelda film to follow in 2027. More films based on Nintendo properties could come next, and Nintendo has now said moviemaking is something Nintendo wants to be “even more actively involved in going forward.”

Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said in Nintendo’s latest earnings report that Nintendo is keen to pursue moviemaking because it believes films can become long-term assets for the company as it looks to the future beyond games.

Nintendo has an internal unit called Nintendo Pictures, which is conducting experiments in the video space, including the recent Pikmin shorts. But Nintendo Pictures won’t be the team that handles future feature films–that work is being done by established Hollywood studios like Universal and Illumination.

“For movies, there is an established business framework where the distribution companies manage movies. The past indicates that following that established structure and creating content with care and attention leads to profits,” Furukawa said.

Hollywood is an established machine with a “proven business model,” Furukawa said, but Nintendo Pictures is a new unit trying to “take on various challenges in areas that have not yet clearly taken shape.”

“The ‘Close to You’ Pikmin-themed short video that was released recently was created as an experiment based on this concept. We would like to continue providing this kind of content that generates enthusiasm around the world, and develop it into an important asset for Nintendo,” Furukawa said.

No more Nintendo movies beyond the live-action Zelda film have been announced, but there have been rumors of a Donkey Kong film.

Nintendo also recently discussed its general philosophy for filmmaking recently. The company said it doesn’t simply license its properties to film studios. Instead, Nintendo is involved in the financing and “deeply involved” in production. Shigeru Miyamoto, for example, produced The Super Mario Bros. Movie and will be a producer on The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and the Zelda movie, which just began filming in New Zealand.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie made a gargantuan $1.36 billon at the global box office, ranking as the No. 2 highest-grossing movie of 2023, only behind Barbie ($1.44 billion). The Super Mario Bros. Movie ranks as the No. 18 highest-grossing movie in history.

“It was enjoyed by a vast audience, including those who had experienced Mario games, those less familiar with gaming, and people of all ages, from children to seniors,” Nintendo said. “What has pleased us most about this film, even more than the measurable results, are the warm comments we received from so many people.”

Nintendo’s gaming business is booming at the moment, thanks in part to the recent launch of the Switch 2. It’s sold more than 10 million units thus far, becoming Nintendo’s fastest-selling platform ever. Nintendo is enthusiastic about its sales potential this holiday, recently boosting the console’s sales projections from 15 million to 19 million for the fiscal year that ends in March 2026.