Japan: 1993 Mario movie getting 30th anniversary 4K theatrical re-release

[mjcavinder]

Just announced...

1993 30th anniversary 4K theatrical re-release

Long before Nintendo and Illumination ever thought of creating an animated movie based on the former company’s Super Mario franchise, there was a live-action film that didn’t get to experience the success that this year’s Mario movie got to enjoy. This year marks 30 years since the release of Super Mario Bros., alternatively known as Super Mario Bros.: The Movie.

There hasn’t been much acknowledgement of the anniversary in Europe and in the Americas, even though the film has developed a cult following decades after its release. However, it’s a different story in Japan, where it released with the name Super Mario: Goddess of the Demon Empire. Beginning on September 15th, Japanese audiences will be able to attend a theatrical re-release of the film. Not only that, but the version shown will be a 4K restoration of the movie.

https://mynintendonews.com/2023/08/1...al-re-release/

https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/lat...sary-screening

[toadster101]

Not expecting it to be re-released theatrically here since we don't even have it on Blu-ray yet. Can't some other company acquire the rights from Disney?

[Walter Kafka]

Originally Posted by mjcavinder

Just announced...

1993 30th anniversary 4K theatrical re-release

Long before Nintendo and Illumination ever thought of creating an animated movie based on the former company’s Super Mario franchise, there was a live-action film that didn’t get to experience the success that this year’s Mario movie got to enjoy. This year marks 30 years since the release of Super Mario Bros., alternatively known as Super Mario Bros.: The Movie.

There hasn’t been much acknowledgement of the anniversary in Europe and in the Americas, even though the film has developed a cult following decades after its release. However, it’s a different story in Japan, where it released with the name Super Mario: Goddess of the Demon Empire. Beginning on September 15th, Japanese audiences will be able to attend a theatrical re-release of the film. Not only that, but the version shown will be a 4K restoration of the movie.

https://mynintendonews.com/2023/08/1...al-re-release/

https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/lat...sary-screening

Thwomp! "Goddess of the Demon Empire" is an awesome title.

One thing I wonder about this movie:

[Show spoiler]Why does Lance Henrickson have a five second cameo?

[mjcavinder]

[DukeTogo84]

A 4K release of this here, would sell like hot cakes. However, Disney's main goal right now is to lose money, so it won't happen here.

[BenjaminG]

Originally Posted by Walter Kafka

Why does Lance Henrickson have a five second cameo?

Because the producer asked him, and he was down for it

[Shogun MacArthur]

Awesome news! Wasn't a fan of the movie as a kid because of how little it resembled the games, but as I got older I began to respect it for doing it's own weird thing. It'd be nice if some of the deleted scenes got included again, but a 4K restoration on its own is something I thought would never happen years ago.

[50strat54]

Big Mouth John Leguizamo should be happy

[KManX89]

You mean the movie so bad, its two lead actors literally got drunk on set just to get through the day and Nintendo played keepaway with all of its properties for films for 30 years afterwards?

[kylor]

Awesome. Might even be tempted to print my own custom sleeve so the cover art is that of the Thai poster.



The text seems simple enough to edit into English, even the logo.

[prkchopexpress]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

A 4K release of this here, would sell like hot cakes. However, Disney's main goal right now is to lose money, so it won't happen here.

would it though? come on now.

[Zechs Merquise]

Why is this getting a re-release and not the 1986 Japanese animated film that's been sorely neglected?

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by prkchopexpress

would it though? come on now.

Yeah, the film has a ton of fans and never even got a Blu-ray in the US. Would be a hot item without a shadow of a doubt.

[Walter Kafka]

Originally Posted by Zechs Merquise

Why is this getting a re-release and not the 1986 Japanese animated film that's been sorely neglected?

It's here in a scan in 4k.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzlZy9zpw0Q&t=0s

[Just_Discovered_3D]

Originally Posted by KManX89

You mean the movie so bad, its two lead actors literally got drunk on set just to get through the day and Nintendo played keepaway with all of its properties for films for 30 years afterwards?

The movie isn't that bad though, I haven't rewatched it yet but I believe it'll prove to be at least as good as the 2023 Mario flick.

I theorize that most people pushing the meme haven't seen the film, and those who have just don't want to buck the meme of Mario 93 being heinous. In other words, "never let facts get in the way of a good joke"

Dunno if the actors getting hammered matters, I've long heard that Bogart was blitzed for the entirety of The African Queen, and his acting in it received accolades.

[Zechs Merquise]

Originally Posted by Walter Kafka

It's here in a scan in 4k.

Yes, I'm aware of that. But that's a fan restoration. A fan/fans found a print, cleaned it up and restored it in 4K. The film has seen no official love pretty much since its original release and for many years the only way to even see it was to pay tons of money for the VHS or the frickin' Beta Max.

I'd like to see the anime film get an official re-release, and maybe a proper home video re-release because it's pretty decent (even if the ending is a bit of a f' you) and certainly leaps and bounds better than the 1993 live action film

Originally Posted by Just_Discovered_3D

Dunno if the actors getting hammered matters, I've long heard that Bogart was blitzed for the entirety of The African Queen, and his acting in it received accolades.

Bogart didn't come out and later say that The African Queen was the worst thing he'd ever done, like Bob Hoskins did with Mario. The African Queen also wasn't one of two punches that ultimately destroyed his career, like Mario did with Dennis Hopper

The film bombed for a reason. Yes sometimes good films bomb, usually because they're not promoted enough and end up ignored by audiences. But that doesn't apply here. This was a major live-action film based on one of the most popular and successful video game franchises of all time, and Mario was at or near the peak of his popularity at the time.

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Originally Posted by toadster101

Not expecting it to be re-released theatrically here since we don't even have it on Blu-ray yet. Can't some other company acquire the rights from Disney?

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

A 4K release of this here, would sell like hot cakes. However, Disney's main goal right now is to lose money, so it won't happen here.

It's not confirmed, but speculated that Disney didn't renew US rights (even though Hollywood Pictures was co-producer) and lapsed to Pathe. The same happened to An American Werewolf in Paris (produced by J&M Entertainment) which Hollywood distributed but didn't renew and lapsed to Filmrise (who control the J&M catalog).

Originally Posted by Zechs Merquise

Why is this getting a re-release and not the 1986 Japanese animated film that's been sorely neglected?

That one is in a legal whirlpool between the (now defunct) production company, distributor Shochiku, and Nintendo who are also reportedly dissatisfied with it and play a role in it's blockage.

[Zechs Merquise]

Originally Posted by SpaceBlackKnight

That one is in a legal whirlpool between the (now defunct) production company, distributor Shochiku, and Nintendo who are also reportedly dissatisfied with it and play a role in it's blockage.

Do you have a source on Nintendo being dissatisfied with it?

[Just_Discovered_3D]

Originally Posted by Zechs Merquise

Bogart didn't come out and later say that The African Queen was the worst thing he'd ever done, like Bob Hoskins did with Mario. The African Queen also wasn't one of two punches that ultimately destroyed his career, like Mario did with Dennis Hopper

The film bombed for a reason. Yes sometimes good films bomb, usually because they're not promoted enough and end up ignored by audiences. But that doesn't apply here. This was a major live-action film based on one of the most popular and successful video game franchises of all time, and Mario was at or near the peak of his popularity at the time.

Was Hoskins perhaps riding a meme for publicity? Seems to me that if people hate your movie you can defend it or ride the hate train too, either way you win some free PR.

I'm reminded of how Will Smith wasn't keen on Wild Wild West, another film that is meme-hated unduly. Sure, yes, it is worse than the TV show. But it's better than the (original) movies of that TV show, those are the ones that could merit the meme hate.

(WWW is also far from the worst Will Smith film)

Could you explain how this movie killed Dennis Hopper's career? From what I know, the man's career had tanked and revived at least once prior to 1993, and 1994 saw him absolutely nail it in Speed.

In full disclosure, I remember having fun with Space Truckers, Hopper's 1996 B movie. Even so, the man still had enough of a career to get cast in The Truman Show, but he decided to walk away from it?

[Zechs Merquise]

Originally Posted by Just_Discovered_3D

Was Hoskins perhaps riding a meme for publicity? Seems to me that if people hate your movie you can defend it or ride the hate train too, either way you win some free PR.

If Bob Hoskins felt the film was unfairly slept on by critics and audiences alike, he would have said so. Both because that's the kind of person he was (brutally honest) and because actors generally do. Half the business is promotion and you don't earn yourself any friends by claiming a film you did was no good or a director you worked with was no good.

This is why, going back to Humphrey Bogart, it took him four or five years to fully break into leading man status in Hollywood because Bogie, who disliked phoniness having grown up around a lot of it due to his upper class WASP background, would frequently slate the films, the directors, the writers and sometimes the other actors if he felt they weren't any good.

Hoskins talked about how working on the film was unbearable. It was directed by a husband-and-wife team who had no idea what they were doing, the script went through multiple rewrites and Hoskins said the actual filming was so unbearable that he and Leguizamo (who got to be pretty good friends) would go and get tanked just to get through the day

Originally Posted by Just_Discovered_3D

Could you explain how this movie killed Dennis Hopper's career? From what I know, the man's career had tanked and revived at least once prior to 1993, and 1994 saw him absolutely nail it in Speed.

His roles in Mario and Waterworld pretty much ended his career as an actor of any significance even though, yes, he did do True Romance and Speed in between those two films

Originally Posted by Just_Discovered_3D

Even so, the man still had enough of a career to get cast in The Truman Show, but he decided to walk away from it?

He didn't walk away from it, he got fired