Shigeru Miyamoto credits “Overseas Critics” for the success of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” due to their low ratings.

Super Mario Bros. Creator Shigeru Miyamoto Says Poor Reviews Helped Drive Fans to Theaters

In a recent interview with NDW, Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Super Mario Bros., proposed an unexpected reason why The Super Mario Bros. Movie did well. Miyamoto stated that the film’s success may have been due in part to poor reviews from critics, which drove fans into theaters. The film was Nintendo’s first step onto the silver screen in 30 years and reached over $1 billion worldwide in just under a month.

Miyamoto Discusses Career and Involvement with the Film

During the interview, Miyamoto discussed his career, his and Nintendo’s involvement with the film, and the development of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios theme parks. He also mentioned being blown away that American visitors were prepared to queue for up to three hours for the attractions. Earlier in the interview, he praised Illumination for how well they realized the characters and world, resisting the temptation to ask for too many requests on smaller details.

Critics vs. Audience Response

At the time of writing, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has a 59% on the “Tomatometer” from 254 critic reviews aggregated on Fresh Tomatoes. The average score from critics is 5.7 out of 10. The Top Critics gave it an even worse score of 42% with an average rating of 4.9 out of 10. However, the Verified Audience score currently sits at 96% with users rating the film 4.7 out of 5, suggesting a disconnect between what critics and audiences wanted out of the film.

Miyamoto’s Theory on Critic Reviews

Many individuals agreed with Miyamoto’s theory that critics panning the film actually drove moviegoers to the theaters. Twitter user @Goddes_Maxwell praised Miyamoto for saying critics’ rejection of The Super Mario Bros. Movie may have only helped it, and embarrassed critics. @wokesbane also highlighted how Miyamoto’s comment highlighted how audiences seem interested in critically bashed films.

What Do You Make of Miyamoto’s Comments?

What do you make of Shigeru Miyamoto’s comments about critic reviews of The Super Mario Bros. Movie? Let us know in the comments below!