Hold onto your hats. If you’re a Nintendo fan or a fan of video games at all, Chris Pratt is confirming what I’ve been saying for the last six months. The NCU is coming and it’s going to be HUGE.
Mario Brothers Fever is about to take over the world and it could lead to a decade of billion-dollar blockbusters over-and-over again. At least, that’s what I have been saying consistently now for many months. That information first came to me from a highly valued source who has been totally accurate in every case that information has been sent my way. Now, I’m starting to wonder if the source is Chris Pratt himself (no, seriously, he isn’t).
He says it is called the “NCU” — the Nintendo Cinematic Universe. Check. He says that the Mario Bros movie is like the Ironman of the MCU. Check. He says all of the major Nintendo characters, they’re all getting a movie. Check. The only thing left in this prediction I’ve made about the forthcoming MCU is the Super Smash Brothers Movie I believe will be the culminating Avengers-style assembly movie that I expect to see around 2033.
So what does all this mean for the entertainment industry?
Well, for starters, this likely puts Universal and Illumination in the captain’s chair when it comes to feature-length, animated family movies. As long as the Nintendo Cinematic Universe puts out quality content, families will flock to it in numbers that Disney simply can’t match. An exception might happen if a Frozen 3 turns out to be great or a Moana 2 happens. But even then, it’s going to be tough. Would I really put money on Frozen 3 beating a Zelda movie if the Zelda movie is fantastic?
I also think this could potentially increase the pipeline of content that Illumination needs to create. That either means another studio needs to be brought in to assist, or it could mean that Illumination will need to grow. The MCU was pumping out three movies a year (that may soon change) — the Nintendo Cinematic Universe could certainly stand to create two-a-year. And thankfully, with a diverse cast of genres and characters, the NCU will have a huge roster of story types that should make it feel less robotic and formulaic than what we began to see later in the MCU’s run. We’re also unlikely to see the movies drift into divisive content given that Nintendo ultimately is in charge and the aim is PG material.
As the reviews begin to come out, I smile a little bit as I read about the movie not having the greatest story but being wonderful in every other way. I’m not sure that being Shakespeare-esque is what families are looking for. If Mario is anything like the Minions or — gasp — the 2014 Lego Movie, things will be very, very good for all of the Nintendo movies coming soon thereafter.
Bring on Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Star Fox, Bayonetta, and more. And when we get to the Smash Brothers movie after all of this, I want Sonic, Pacman and Megaman stepping through some portals to help their friends.
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