'It's Truly Baffling': Here's What Shigeru Miyamoto Thinks About The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's Negative Reviews

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and executive producer of 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie', has shared his reaction to the film's negative critical reception.

The film follows Mario, Luigi, and their friends as they venture into outer space. There, they meet Princess Rosalina and face off against Bowser and his son. It's a sequel to 2023's 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie', with Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, and Jack Black reprising their roles and Brie Larson, Glen Powell, Benny Safdie, and Donald Glover joining the cast.

Like the previous film, 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. One review described the movie as a 'frenetic and disappointing sequel', while another called it a 'bland screensaver of a movie that's actually worse than AI.'

'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' currently holds a 43% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is lower than the first film's score of 59%.

Mario Creator Shigeru Miyamoto Reacts to 'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' Criticism

In an interview with NDW (translated by Nintendo Patents Watch), Miyamoto said that while he understood the critics' reviews of the first film, he thought that things would be different for the sequel.

'Regarding the critics' reviews of the first film, I remember thinking, "they have a point". But I figured this time would be different... only to find that the they were even harsher than last time, which I found rather odd (laughs),' Miyamoto said.

'We stepped in from another medium and did our best to help energize the film industry. And yet the very people who are supposed to champion the film industry are the ones being so negative; it's truly baffling,' he added.

'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' Box Office Performance

Despite the critical reception, the movie performed strongly at the box office, earning over $747 million (£553.7 million) against a $110 million (£81.54 million) budget and becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year so far.

A similar pattern occurred with the first instalment, which earned $1.3 billion (£960 million) worldwide despite mixed reviews, making it one of the highest-grossing movies of 2023.

It is also worthy to note that both 'Super Mario' movies have had generally positive audience scores, with the first one sitting at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the second, 89%. This implies that viewers may have enjoyed the films despite the mixed reviews.

While not yet officially announced, actor Jack Black, who voices Bowser, suggested that a third 'Super Mario' movie will debut in 2029. The film's performance at the box office also opens the door for more 'Super Mario' movies in the future.

'The Super Mario Galaxy Movie' is among the most successful releases so far this year, alongside Amazon's 'Project Hail Mary' and Pixar's 'Hoppers'. Other upcoming films that are expected to attract large audiences this year include 'Avengers: Doomsday', 'Dune: Part Three', 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day', 'Toy Story 5', 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping', and 'The Odyssey'.

Additionally, video games fans can also look forward to Nintendo's next movie adaptation, the live-action 'The Legend of Zelda' film, which will be released on 7 May 2027.