Nintendo’s first baby and platforming’s godfather, Mario Jumpman Mario, is undoubtedly the face of the company and the most-awaited protagonist on the franchise’s several fronts. Tennis, Party Games, Golf, Racing – you name it, he plays it.
Yet one of its most successful sagas began when the Italian hero made the jump from 2D to 3D, achieving massive global success with titles like Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and the Super Mario Galaxy diptych.
The last of its entries came in 2017 with Super Mario Odyssey for the original Nintendo Switch. The launch title became the fastest-selling Mario game, distributing nearly 30 million copies and winning 22 game awards along the way.
Historically, the time between mainline 3D Mario instalments averaged between six to seven years, with releases in 1996, 2002, 2007, 2010, and 2017 – the former longest gap between Wii’s Super Mario Galaxy 2 and the Switch’s Super Mario Odyssey.
Now, we are entering Year 9 for the longest 3D Mario drought since its inception. To be perfectly clear, we might be entering double-digit waiting territory and for good reason: Nintendo is betting it all on a proven horse.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed over $1.36 billion worldwide for both Illumination and Nintendo, making it the first video game movie to do so. Most importantly, the film’s revenue is almost half of the total earnings of all 3D Mario games, currently at $3.6 billion. Two years of production vs. 21 years of developing – no wonder Nintendo would milk the movies rather than allocate resources to a new 3D title.
MyTimeToShineHello, Hollywood leaker popular for her MCU scoops, posted Mario news that would push a 3D release further down the road. “The third Mario movie is planned to be based on and titled Super Mario Odyssey”, the account reported on Halloween 2025.
Whilst MyTimeToShineHello’s credibility is widely considered a coin toss, with mixed public perception, it'd still feel natural for the saga to go from a classic Mario storyline to a more complex sequel, all leading to a final third instalment with the latest 3D release.
This would mean at least another three years of production, similar to the release gaps between 2023’s Super Mario Bros. Movie and 2026’s Super Mario Galaxy Movie. A longer wait so as not to take away from their current main focus: translating the games’ lore to the silver screen.
Less is more for juggernauts like Nintendo, as saturating the market with similar projects diminishes the importance of each release. There’s power in scarcity, so protecting popular characters inherently makes each piece of media more relevant and sought after.
Aiming for a 2029 release for the Super Mario Odyssey film would mean there would be no 3D Mario title until at least 2030. They come in threes, so it’s safe to say Nintendo would be interested in keeping their Illumination partnership with other franchise spin-offs for Toad, Luigi, or Peach for parallel, fast-forward, or flashback films.
This would allow Mario to return to platforming action with a brand-new original storyline that could directly follow up from the trilogy’s finale. Until then, it would seem illogical for Nintendo to add Mario lore on top of its 40-year-long history. Instead, they’re most certainly looking to slow down so their freshly born cinematic universe can assuredly catch up.
While a Super Mario Odyssey sequel feels imminent, it’s best to bank on other popular Nintendo IPs like a Donkey Kong Bananza sequel or an innovative Pokemon release in the meantime. Whatever the 3D adventure, I’m sure we’ll all be right here to welcome our favorite plumber back with open, red-sleeved arms. So long, for now!
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