Just like we saw with ‘Hogwarts Legacy,’ it seems that negative criticism, mostly from Western journalists, has helped fuel the success of ‘Super Mario Bros.’ At least according to Super Mario Bros. creator Shigeru Miyamoto.

During an interview with the press in Japan, Miyamoto talked about the success being more than he imagined while citing the low ratings of Western media as a reason for its notoriety.

Here are his comments that Video Games Chronicle contributor Robert Sephazon translated.

“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 film was released in Japan today, and we know that the Japanese version’s script is different from the wide release. However, those wanting to see the Japanese version can do so in select cities starting today.

A different version was created for the Japanese “home” audience to appeal more to that demographic.

“Since we were creating this movie in both Japan and the United States, we thought we should make a Japanese version as well…..”

“So when we decided to make this movie, we discussed creating a unique Japanese script from the beginning. Even if we were shown an English script, it would be hard to understand the subtle nuances…….”

“For this Japanese version, we wanted to create a script that wouldn’t be awkward when compared to Chris’s [the director] version, so we were involved in various ways up until the voice recording.”

Of course, the Japanese market is expected to drive the box office totals much higher. The film is at almost $1 billion worldwide, with $901.2 million. $444 million is roughly the domestic total, while $457.2 million is from international markets.

Miyamoto credits luck and foreign critics for the buzz the bad reviews gave it. Western media has a large number of outlets giving the film poor reviews.

“You need some luck to achieve this level of success for a film. While many foreign critics have given the movie relatively low ratings, I think that also contributed to the movie’s notoriety and buzz.”

This sounds a lot like what we saw with the game ‘Hogwarts Legacy.’ When the calls for boycotts started over alleged “transphobia” by J.K. Rowling, and then the media either reviewed the game with a disclaimer or didn’t review it at all, people started getting more interested in the game.

Personally, I think the reason the film is performing so well is because of the love people have for the characters in the Nintendo franchise. Most everyone recognizes Mario, Luigi, and their friends. The games are a big part of people’s lives. While the negative reviews likely factored into people wanting to “show the critics,” nostalgia and love for the characters ultimately led people to theaters.

This could open the doors to many more Nintendo adaptations like ‘The Legend of Zelda” and “Metroid.”

What do you think? Comment and let us know!