Video game movies have been very divisive for the past 30 years in Hollywood, with many of them falling flat and/or failing to meet the expectations of the fans of the source material. But, that has not stopped studios from trying, with the newest video game movie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, releasing in early 2023. With a star-studded cast, vibrant animation, and new trailer releases, viewers are hoping that the movie will be a home run that the video game movie genre desperately needs.
However, not all video game movies to come before The Super Mario Bros. Movie have been considered failures, some have even been major successes, warranting multiple sequels. These successes, as well as learning from the failures of others, have all helped to make the upcoming release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie possible. Here are some movies that paved the way for the newest addition to the video game movie genre.
6 The Angry Birds Movie
Angry Birds was at the peak of its popularity in 2011 and 2012. At the time, Angry Birds was being considered as not only one of the most profitable mobile games, but one of the most profitable video games of all time. So of course, with material that was taking the world by storm, similar to the popularity of the Super Mario franchise, a movie was put into production. The movie had sharp animation and a strong voice cast, but with a 2016 release date, The Angry Birds Movie seemed about five years too late, with the popularity of the source material nowhere near what it was before. Despite this, it still pulled in over $300 million worldwide, more than enough to warrant a second movie and showed the potential success for fully animated video game movies.
5 Mortal Kombat (2021)
2021's Mortal Kombat was a complete reboot from the two poorly received Mortal Kombat movies of the 1990s. Sporting all new actors and much better CGI than the original films, viewers hoped that the movie would be a major improvement for the franchise, yet reviews for the movie are split. Some say the movie is enjoyably cheesy, while others say it is straight-up bad. Regardless of reviews, the movie still earned a profit, and showed that rebooted material can still be successful as well as show the progress of video game movies over the year.
4 Wreck-It Ralph
Disney's Wreck-It Ralph could be considered one of the most successful video game movies of all time, even though it is not based on an existing video game title. The movie still includes and references numerous popular and old-school arcade video games, such as Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter, and more. Not only do the characters of Ralph and Fix-It Felix have a similar Mario-Bowser dynamic, Wreck-It Ralph and its near $500 million worldwide gross showed that viewers love to see their favorite video games on the silver screen, when done correctly.
3 Pokémon Detective Pikachu
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Pokémon is one of the most profitable pieces of media of all time, so learning that a live-action Pokémon movie based on the spin-off game Detective Pikachu had viewers both excited and skeptical. With the reputation of video game movies, viewers held their breath and hoped that their favorite pocket monsters would not be butchered the way that many other video games had been in the past. However, when the movie was finally released in May 2019, Pokémon Detective Pikachu was a major success. Grossing over $400 million worldwide, the movie proved that even some of the most successful franchises to exist can still make a movie that is worth watching. With an interesting story and CGI that brought Pokémon into the real world more than anyone could have imagined, Pokémon Detective Pikachu was truly a video game movie done right.
2 Sonic The Hedgehog
If the creators of 2020's Sonic The Hedgehog did not truly care about making a movie for Sonic lovers, we most likely would not be talking about the film today. When the original trailer for the movie released, viewers were horrified with what they had done to the Blue Blur. Strange, humanistic features and a shape that did not even look close to the Sonic the Hedgehog that we know, public outcry was so loud that the creators went back to the drawing board and completely reworked Sonic's design. The Sonic that we now see on the big screen is miles better than what we originally saw, and combining that with an eccentric performance from Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, Sonic The Hedgehog displayed the love and care that creators need to show the source material in order to make a successful video game movie. This love and care was rewarded with a sequel, and even a third movie is in the works currently.
1 Super Mario Bros.
Finally, where would The Super Mario Bros. Movie be without the original Super Mario Bros.? Considered to be the very first video game film, Super Mario Bros. was released in 1993. While the newest movie seems to be a much more faithful adaptation to the Mario world, Super Mario Bros. was anything but faithful. A dark, grimy live action movie with half human/half dinosaur creatures, an alternate dimension with a city called Dinohattan, and a human villain named King Koopa, the original video game movie was all over the place. However, the inception of Super Mario Bros. helped pave the way not only for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, but for video game movies as a whole.