Super Mario Bros. (film)

Super Mario Bros. (also known as Super Mario Bros.: The Movie) is a 1993 science fantasy adventure comedy film based on Nintendo's Mario franchise. The first American feature-length live-action film based on a video game, it was directed by the husband-and-wife team of Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, with a screenplay by Parker Bennett, Terry Runté and Ed Solomon and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures through Hollywood Pictures. It follows brothers Mario (Bob Hoskins) and Luigi (John Leguizamo) in their quest to rescue Princess Daisy (Samantha Mathis) from a dystopian parallel universe ruled by the ruthless President Koopa (Dennis Hopper).

Development began after producer Roland Joffé obtained the rights to the Mario franchise from Nintendo. Given free creative license by Nintendo, which believed the Mario brand was strong enough for experimentation, the screenwriters envisioned Super Mario Bros. as a subversive comedy influenced by Ghostbusters (1984) and The Wizard of Oz (1939). Its dinosaur-centric theme was inspired by the franchise's most recent game, Super Mario World (1990), with elements drawn from fairy tales and contemporary American culture. The production introduced several filmmaking techniques considered innovative in the transition from practical to digital visual effects, including the use of Autodesk Flame. Filming took place from May to July 1992.

Released on May 28, 1993, Super Mario Bros. was a financial failure, grossing $38.9 million worldwide against a budget of $42–48 million. Although the film received generally unfavorable reviews from critics at release and appeared on several lists of the worst films ever made, it has developed a cult following over the years. In 2013, a webcomic sequel was produced in collaboration with Bennett.

After Super Mario Bros., Nintendo would not license another film based on the Super Mario game series until an animated reboot, titled The Super Mario Bros. Movie, was released three decades later in 2023. In stark contrast to its predecessor, it was a strong commercial success and broke multiple box-office records.