Mario Creator Thanks Critics For Their Negative Reviews: 'I Think They Contributed To The Movie's Notoriety'

Nintendo ADR's NTDOY "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" has become a box-office success since its global release earlier this month.

In fact, reports show that its third weekend was Universal Picture's highest ever in the U.S., and the movie is on course to generate more than $1 billion globally. Universal is owned by Comcast Corporation CMCSA.

Despite mixed reviews from critics, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto expressed his surprise and satisfaction with the film's success during a press conference in Japan ahead of its debut in Nintendo's home country.

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"I did have a level of expectations that this movie would also do well [like the Super Nintendo World theme park], but I was very surprised that it went beyond what I could have imagined when it finally came out," the Mario creator said, according to VGC.

Miyamoto revealed he thought the poor reviews actually improved the film's performance, rather than holding it back.

"While many foreign critics have given the movie relatively low ratings, I think that also contributed to the movie’s notoriety and buzz," he said.

Shigeru Miyamoto Discusses Unique Japanese Script For Mario Movie

During the press junket, Miyamoto unveiled that Nintendo had independently handled the Japanese version of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" rather than providing a straightforward translation of the U.S. version created by Illumination, a computer animation subsidiary of Universal.

According to Miyamoto, this was done to produce a more captivating movie for Nintendo's local audience that wouldn't appear "awkward" when compared to the U.S. version.

"Since we were creating the movie for both Japan and the United States, we decided to create a Japanese version as well," Miyamoto stated.

"I always emphasize the importance of creating stories in games that are 'like real stories, even though they're not.' They are entirely fictional, yet they seem nearly real because they include some aspect of reality. This is also valid for dramas. I feel disappointed when I see that the most critical part, which is making it seem 'like a real story,' is done carelessly," he noted. 

"So when we started working on this movie, we talked about creating a unique Japanese script from scratch. Even if we were provided with an English script, it would be difficult to comprehend the subtle nuances."

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