Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the new and experimental Super Mario game for the Nintendo Switch, is now the fastest-selling title in the franchise.
According to sales data released by Nintendo, the new 2D Super Mario multiplayer game “achieved global cumulative sales of 4.3 million units within the first two weeks” of its release. Additionally, “Super Mario-related titles also tend to sell consistently over a long period of time. [Nintendo] anticipates this title will be an appealing choice for consumers during the upcoming holiday season and will continue to sell next year onwards as well.”
Although Nintendo admits sales data is limited to Wii and Nintendo DS titles onward, this doesn’t devalue the incredible sales achievement of the first new side-scrolling Mario game in 11 years. Super Mario Bros. Wonder, originally released on Oct. 20, is receiving universal praise for shaking up the Mario formula in delightfully unexpected ways while retaining the series’ familiar gameplay experience. On top of being a new 2D Mario game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder also marks the debut of Kevin Afghani as the new voice of Mario and Luigi. Former Super Mario voice actor Charles Martinet is now serving as the Mario ambassador for Nintendo.
News of Super Mario Bros. Wonder breaking sales records for Nintendo comes after The Super Mario Bros. Movie from Illumination Entertainment tore up the box office. The first animated Nintendo movie from the Japanese gaming giant and Universal Pictures grossed over $1.36 billion worldwide. As Nintendo notes in its sales data, the box office revenue of The Super Mario Bros. Movie makes it “the highest-grossing film based on a video game and the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time.”
Nintendo plans to follow up its theatrical success with alive-action The Legend of Zelda movie with Sony Pictures. Wes Ball (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes) will direct while Derek Connolly (Jurassic World) is penning the script. While the live-action Zelda movie is still years away, fans are already petitioning Percy Jackson and the Olympians star Walker Scobell for the role of Link.
Super Mario Bross. Wonder is now available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. The Super Mario Bros. animated movie is now streaming on Peacock.
Source: Nintendo, GoNintendo
